Hard Descisions
by Lemonade Ninja
Summary: Bella moves back to Forks after something terrible happens to her. Five weeks later, she receives the news that she's pregnant. Along with her best friend Alice Cullen, will she be able to overcome her past and...still find love? ExB All Human. R&R.
1. Prologue

Diclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do own this plot line.

Full Summary: When something happens to Bella in Phoenix, Arizona, she moves back to Forks, Washington, where she lived the first ten years of her life with Charlie and Renee. She reunites with her old best friends, whom she hasn't seen in nine years. Then something happens that changes Bella's life and life plan forever. She's Pregnant. Along with the support of her best friend, Alice Cullen, and Alice's family, will she be able to get through the trials and hard times ahead of her, and somehow, find love? All Human.

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a 'Bella gets pregnant' story, so I am hoping it will go well. Enjoy!

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Prologue

As I sat on the hospital bed, smiling down at my less than an hour old child, I remembered the time and place I had found out that I was pregnant with my first child.

I knew that deep down inside that I was bursting with joy and happiness. But way, way up, I had been scared to death. I was so scared because I wasn't ready – or the right age – to be a mother. But Alice and Esme had convinced me that I was going to do fine, even though I wasn't married, or didn't have a boyfriend.

It had too me a long while – it was a couple weeks before I got up the nerve to tell my father, Charlie, that he was going to be a grandfather – to get used to the fact that I was pregnant with a child. And the fact that in less than nine months I was going to be a mother.

Alice told me, when I first found out, that I was going to be a wonderful mother. At that, I hugged her and told her that she was the best friend anyone could ever have.

She said thank you and hugged me back, whispering that everything would turn out in the end.

This is my story of the nine months in my life where I had to learn to become a grown up earlier than any one of my friends, with a few flashbacks.

And trust me, the beginning isn't pretty.

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So? What do you think? Sorry it's so short. But then, prologues are never long. Remember to Review on your way out.

Note: There isn't going to be any.. graphic scenes in this story, just thought I should let you know, because I don't like graphic scenes, and I am not very good at writing them. It's just going to be the mention of it.


	2. The Return To My True Home

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing but the plotline.

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Chapter One: The Return to My True Home

I packed my bags almost two weeks after what had happened, heading back to Forks, Washington. It was the place I had been born and had spent the first ten years of my life. Before Renee, my mom had left my dad, Charlie.

I had told Renee and Phil that I needed a change. I needed to get away from Phoenix, Arizona, where I had spent the last almost nine years with Renee and Phil, Renee's husband of three years. I needed to return to Forks, where I felt was the real home I was missing.

It was the beginning of February, starting the sixth month of my senior year of high school. I would be transferring to Forks High, a school that shockingly had a total of three hundred and fifty eight students. Now it was three hundred and fifty nine.

Renee had told me, as I waited to board the plane to Port Angeles airport, that I was welcome to come back home whenever I felt like it. Yeah. Home. Phoenix, Arizona – although it was nice to see the sun – was beginning to feel a little… well, big.

I told her that I needed to be in Forks. To make sure that dad wasn't killing himself from starvation – Charlie was known to be a not so good cook. The limit was scrambled eggs and bacon, and even that was pushing it.

I hugged Renee good-bye and handed my plane ticket to the ticket checker. She smiled at me and I was allowed to get on the plane. I turned around and waved at my mom, smiling.

As I sat back in my seat on the plane, I thought about all the people I was going to be seeing in just a few hours. Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, Charlie… and Edward. I smiled. How I missed. I couldn't wait to see them again. To hug Alice tightly, and to hear Emmett roar with laughter at my klutziness. I was born a klutz.

According to Edward, I wasn't able to walk across a flat surface without finding something to trip over.

Edward. I missed him. A lot. It was weird. I was missing him slightly more than the others. I hadn't seen him since we were ten. Alice, him, and I were the same age – eighteen – while Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett were a year older than us.

Alice, I assumed was probably with Jasper now. As boyfriend and girlfriend, I mean. And Rosalie and Emmett probably were to. They all had crushes on each other in middle school. They were all adopted by Carlisle and Esme. So was Edward.

But Edward didn't have anyone to like. Well, he did propose to me in middle school, and I have to admit we did like each other in middle school and elementary school. But how would I know if he was dating someone? I had been gone for almost nine years.

I felt a pang of jealousy. The last time we had seen each other was when I was about to leave for Arizona. All the Cullen's had gathered at the airport to see Renee and I off.

_I turned to Edward to say good-bye to him, and I found I couldn't. It was devastating, leaving your life-long best friends behind on one side of the country, when you're leaving to move to another state. _

"_So, uh, bye." Edward said, and I could see him mentally kicking himself at what he had said. He looked nervous about something. _

_Before I had the chance to say anything, he pulled me to the side, and I thought at first that he was going to kiss me. But instead, he pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. _

_In my hand was a necklace. It was a silver chain, with a silver flower dangling. I smiled and looked up at him. It was perfect, coming from him. _

"_It's a necklace," he said, looking down at his feet and stating the obvious. _

"_Thanks, Edward. I love it. You don't know how much this means to me," I said, putting it around my head. At lay a couple inches below my collarbone. I loved it. I would never take it off. _

_I could see Edward blushing. I smiled. _

"_Well, I paid fifty cents for it. I got it from one of the change things at the grocery store," he said. _

_I laughed. "Thanks, Edward. I love it." I hugged him. _

"_It means that I'll never forget about you, even though I might date someone else. But I would dump her if you ever came back," he said. I looked at him. Did he like me?_

_I chuckled and hugged him again just as my mom called for me to come, as the plane was now boarding. I could feel the tears come as I waved one last time at my favorite family, the Cullen's, and walked to my mom. _

I was pulled out of my thoughts as a steward came and asked if I wanted anything. I told her no, but thank you anyways for the offer.

Again, I leaned my head back, pulling my CD player out of my shoulder-bag I used for school. I put the headphones on and turned on Debussy, my favorite classical music.

Clair De Lune came on and I started fingering at my necklace, the necklace that Edward had given me right before I had left for Phoenix. I had never taken it off. Him giving that to me, it meant the whole world to me. I still remember his nervousness when he gave it to me, and it still made me giggle at the thought. And when he blushed, I thought that the world had ended. I loved to see him blush.

The flight to Seattle was four hours long, but it didn't seem too long to me, as I immersed myself in thoughts of my first ten years with the Cullen's living in Forks.

Where were they now? Were they still living in Forks? Or had they moved on to someplace, thinking that they would never see me again? I hoped that they were still living there, because I wanted to see them so bad, that it made me jittery with excitement that I was actually going to see the most entertaining family for the first time in so many years.

Charlie was excited when I told him I was coming to live with him in Forks. Renee and Phil were moving to Florida, and I wanted to give them some privacy. So I called Charlie up and said guess what, dad. He was going to register me into the Forks High School, so I didn't need to worry about all the transferring.

He told me that he was going to help me find a car so I could get to school easily. Since he was the chief of police in the small town of rainy Forks, he was the perfect way to slow down traffic.

When I told him I was coming to live with him, I asked him not to tell the Cullen's or anyone else that I was coming back. When he asked why, I told him that I wanted to surprise everybody. He chuckled when I told him that.

Four hours later, I landed in Seattle. I boarded a plane that would get me to Port Angeles. Outside, I was your normal teenager who was flying on a plane. But on the inside, I was bursting with excitement: in just two short hours, I would be home again.

As I walked off the plane an hour later, I walked to one of the huge windows over-looking the take off strip. I was glad to see the rain clouds that was covering the early afternoon sky (I had boarded a 7:30 a.m. flight, and by the time I got to Port Angeles, it was a little after 1:00 p.m.).

With my shoulder bag securely across my chest, I scanned the area for Charlie.

"Bells!"

I turned around and saw Charlie. I grinned and walked toward him, with him coming towards me. I flung my arms around him as we hugged each other. "Hey, dad," I said.

The hour long drive from Port Angeles to Forks was a little awkward. Charlie and I don't exactly say much when there isn't much need to say anything. We were quiet by nature, and we were both perfectly okay with that.

Finally, I managed to break the silence first. "So, how is everyone, dad? Everybody still the same?"

"Everybody's fine," Charlie answered.

After a couple moments, I said, "Are the Cullen's still living in Forks?"

Charlie looked at me before staring out at the road ahead. "Yes, they're still here. They miss you, you know. I'm pretty sure that they would be very glad to hear that you're coming home."

"You didn't tell them did you?" I asked.

"No."

"Thanks, dad."

Again, an awkward silence passed before Charlie said, "I bought a car for you. Remember how I said I'd help you find a car?"

I had been putting my straight thin brown hair up in a ponytail when Charlie said this. I let my hair fall back into place in shock. "You _bought _me a car? Are you serious?"

Charlie nodded, eyes glued to the road. He had never been able to express his feelings. I was the same way. "Yes. From Billy Black. Remember him?"

"Uh, sort of."

"Well, I bought his old truck. It runs really great," Charlie said.

Now I was interested. "What year is the truck?"

"1968, I think."

We were crossing the line into Forks now. "Thanks, dad. I really appreciate it."

I saw Charlie smile. I like it when he smiled. It meant that he still had some of the old Charlie in him. "You're welcome, Bells."

I stared out the window at the town of Forks. It was exactly the way it was when I had left it nine years ago. But the people in it have probably grown older.

As we pulled into the dirt driveway in front of the house I loved so much, I saw a red truck sitting in the driveway. I couldn't believe it. It was awesome!

"Wow! Dad, thanks," I said as we got out of the cruiser, the only car Charlie owned.

"Again, welcome."

We went into the house, Charlie carrying my duffle bag that held all the clothes that were appropriate for rainy weather: jeans, long-sleeved shirts, a couple zip-up sweaters, that kind of stuff. Charlie set it down in the hallway in front of the door, and I carried it up to my old bedroom.

It was in this bedroom that I had cried myself to sleep whenever Renee and Charlie had fought. The bedroom looked exactly as I had left it. The only addition was a computer that my mom had sent from Arizona so that I would be able to e-mail her.

Here, I felt at home.

After I unpacked, I wandered downstairs where Charlie was.

As he saw me coming down the stairs, he said, "I have to go back to the station. I should be home at five o'clock. Is that okay?"

I nodded. "Uh, Ch – dad, is it okay if I go about the town a little? Maybe go stop by the Cullen's house to say hi?"

"Sure, that's okay. Uh, here are the keys to your truck. I'll be back later. Mind yourself, now, okay?" he asked as he handed me the keys and strapped his gun holster to around his waist.

"Okay," I said.

After Charlie left, I realized that I was really hungry, as I hadn't had any lunch on the plane, so I wandered into the kitchen.

I noted that the cupboards were still painted yellow and the same tiles were on the floor. There was the same square table that had three chairs around it. The stove was exactly the same as I remembered it, though it looked like it had age a little.

I opened the refrigerator and found that there was nothing in it. I would have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. How Charlie managed to survive all these years was beyond me at the moment. I found an unopened box of S'mores and Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola bars.

I sat down at the table and ate a lunch that consisted of S'mores Chewy Granola Bars.

After I had eaten half the box – there were twelve in the box –, I got up from the table and got the cloth jacket I had gotten at Aeropostale from my bedroom.

I walked out to my truck, and got in. Starting the engine, I jumped at its loud roar, as if it was being awakened at a time when it didn't want to be woken.

Trying to remember the way to the Cullen's house, I navigated my way through Forks. It was beginning to drizzle slightly, and I couldn't help but feel relieved at the sound of the beating of the rain.

I turned my heater on after a few minutes of driving. It felt nice, the blast of warm air, coming from an old, old truck.

Slowly, I was beginning to recognize the landmarks of the way to the Cullen's mansion that was off to the side somewhere.

I knew I was close to the start of the driveway, and I was glad that the rain wasn't pouring down buckets upon buckets. I remembered that the start of the driveway was slightly hidden by the always green plants that grew in Forks, the place that was probably the greenest place on earth.

When I managed to find the driveway, I was thrilled. My insides were twisting into knots. I was about to see my best friends again.

I turned into the driveway. As I drove into the clearing that was in front of the mansion that was the Cullen's home, I saw that it looked exactly as I remembered it. I was glad. Emmett had managed not to blow the house up with his crazy antics. Maybe he had begun to grow up a little, now that he was nineteen, but I highly doubted it; Emmett would always be Emmett.

I stopped my truck on the right side of the driveway, turned it off and sat there for a few seconds, gathering up courage to go up to the door.

When it began to get cold, I decided that it was time to get the guts and go to the door. I got out of my truck and cautiously walked up to the door, afraid that they wouldn't recognize me, or not want me to talk to them.

Pushing those fears away, I hesitantly lifted my balled fist up to the door and knocked. When nobody answered after the first moment, I pushed the doorbell.

I heard the sound chime ring through the house, and I knew that now they would be know someone was at the door. A few seconds passed before I thought that nobody was probably home. I turned to go. But before I could take even a step, the door opened and I heard a voice that was motherly sounding.

"Hello?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. All I had to do was turn around. I turned around, and found myself facing Esme, the motherly figure I loved so dearly.

"Hey, Esme," I said, a huge smile on my face.

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Author's Note: This chapter is longer than the prologue, and I hope you liked it. I have two more chapters already written, and I'll post them after I finish chapter four, which I am currently writing.

What will Esme's reaction to Bella coming home be? And even more, what will Alice's and Edward's reaction be to Bella's return? Well... I already know, but you'll find out soon enough...

So, review and tell me if you like it and if I should keep going or not. I would really appreciate it! And it turns out I probably won't be getting February vacation (thank goodness! Call me crazy, but, from the penname, I like school...) but I'll try to update at least once a week or so. Maybe more. Anyhow, off to post this chapter! NerdyGuRu2


	3. Cookies and Milk, Good For the Tummy

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

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Chapter Two: Cookies and Milk, Good For the Tummy

Happiness spread across Esme's sweet, heart-shaped face with a smile. She threw her arms around me in a huge hug, my arms thrown around her neck. Oh, how I had missed her.

"Bella!" said Esme as we broke apart. She held me at arm's length, looking me over, up and down. "Oh, Bella! We've missed you! Come on inside, out of the rain." The rain had begun to pick up, and it was raining a little harder now.

Esme pulled me through the door, shutting it behind us. As I walked into the house, I could smell the waft of cookies, and I could feel my mouth watering at the smell.

As we walked into the kitchen, she asked, "So, when did your flight get in?"

"Earlier this afternoon," I said.

She led me into the kitchen, which was exactly the way I remembered it.

The smell of the cookies were even stronger in the kitchen, and I felt my mouth water even more.

"Want some chocolate chip cookies, Bella?" Esme asked as she transferred cookies from a sheet to a plate. I nodded, trying not to make it too vigorous.

I realized I was still standing, and Esme noticed, too, because she said, as she turned around with a plate of cookie in her hand, "Go on, and sit down."

So I sat down on one of the stools at the island that was in the kitchen.

As Esme sat down the plate of cookies, she, too, sat down. She was still smiling broadly as she handed a cookie to me, which I took gratefully. Before she said anything, she picked up a cookie as well, and then said, "So, Bella. How have you been these days? We haven't heard from you for a few weeks."

I sent a letter every first and last of the month to the Cullen family and to Charlie about the life in Phoenix.

I looked down at my cookie. How would I tell Esme, the sweetest person on the planet, who cares for me just as much as her five adopted children? I decided not to and told her, "Nothing lately. Life's been kind of boring ever since Renee married Phil."

Esme took a bite of her cookie, still smiling. "So, are you moving back here permanently?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes. Renee is moving with Phil to Florida, and I decided that they shouldn't have to deal with an eighteen year old who could practically live on her own, so I decided to move up here with Charlie."

Esme laughed. "They wouldn't have to deal with you. You're the quietest, sweetest girl I've met."

I smiled, for some reason really touched by her words. I took another bite of my cookie.

"Are you taking yoga or something? You're positively glowing," Esme commented.

"Glowing? What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Are you taking any extra vitamins or something?" Esme asked.

I shook my head. "No. I'm completely myself. And, you know I don't do yoga. I would probably kill myself doing yoga."

Esme's musical laugh filled the kitchen.

"So, where are Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie? And Edward? I noticed that it's rather quiet. That or you've put some spell on them so they do their homework the moment they get home from school."

Again, Esme laughed. "Let's see. As you know, Jasper, Emmett, and Rose graduated from high school last year, and they're currently off at college. Coincidently, they went to the same school, so it's easier for them to come back and forth. And Alice and Edward, they should be getting home from school in a few moments."

I smiled and took another cookie. Esme got up and got us two glasses of milk. She placed mine in front of me, and I said thank you, smiling.

"So, where do you plan to go to college?" Esme asked, taking a sip of her milk.

"I'm not sure. Maybe go to the community college and take art lessons. That's it, though," I said.

If only I had known what was about to come around the corner, changing my life forever, and meaning that I would have to tell everyone what had happened.

"Art classes? Wow. You always were a gifted artist," Esme said. "I think it's great that you're pursuing your dreams that you've had since you were little."

"Thanks," I said. I had been an avid artist ever since I was eight, and it was since then that I had decided to become an artist or art teacher when I grew older.

"So, where's Carlisle?" I asked.

"Down at the hospital. Got called in this morning after Edward and Alice left for school," Esme said.

Just then, we heard the front door shut, and I heard a voice that I never thought I would hear again, though it sounded deeper, as it matured over the years.

"Mom! We're home!"

"We're in here!" Esme said, and smiled at me.

Two teenagers walked into the kitchen and stopped in their tracks. Edward and Alice.

They looked exactly the same, though Edward was taller, much taller, and he was slightly lankier than when he was ten. His bronze hair hadn't changed, though it had become slightly thicker and slightly more tousled. His eyes hadn't changed either. His bright green eyes were more piercing than ever. Alice hadn't changed a bit, though she probably had grown an inch in the past several years. The only change was that her black hair was now cut short like a boy and it was spiky.

Alice was the first one to react. She shrieked and flew from the doorway to me, throwing her arms around my neck.

"Bella! Oh my gosh! You're actually here in Forks!"

"Yes, Alice, I am," I said, hugging her back.

"When did you get here?" she asked, still very excited. She was obviously glad to see her best friend for life again.

"Landed in Port Angeles at one," I said, trying to pry Alice off of me. For a pixie like girl for eighteen, she sure had a mean grip when she was excited to see someone.

She got the hint and stood back, looking me over. Edward found this a perfect opportunity to step in.

"Hey Bella," he said.

"Hi, Edward," I replied, smiling at him. It had been such a long time since I had seen him, and it was such a joy to see him again.

"How are you?" he asked, never taking his eyes away from my head, which made me feel slightly unnerved. In his eyes, I could see happiness and… was it confusion that I saw?

I nodded and said, "Good."

Meanwhile, Alice was jumping up and down, clearly oblivious to the fact that her arm was still around me. Esme was trying to calm Alice down.

"Alice, calm down. Yes, Bella is here and we all know you're excited to see her," she said. "Now sit down before you jump through the ceiling."

I giggled as Alice sat down in the chair next to me and try to contain herself. Edward moved to the Island, but more slowly than Alice.

"So, Bella, how long are you in town for?" he asked as he sat down.

"Permanently, I guess," I said.

Again, Alice shrieked.

"Geez, Alice, enough with the shrieking! You're going to burst our eardrums," Edward said, taking a cookie from the plate.

Laughing her musical laugh, Alice took a cookie as well and took a bite.

"I'll leave you three to catch up. There's some laundry I was going to put into the washer," Esme said as she stood up from her chair. She turned to me and said, "Welcome home, Bella. We've missed you."

She wrapped her arms around me as I said, "Thanks, Esme. Good to be home."

With that, she turned around and walked cheerfully out of the kitchen.

As soon as she was gone, Edward asked, "So what made your mind up to come back?"

I looked down at my cookie and sighed. I couldn't tell them either, even if they were my best friends. "Um, well, you know. I missed Forks. Grew up here, spent most of my life here. Though I did like Phoenix, Forks is really the only home I felt at home. That and, I missed you guys. A lot."

Edward smiled and Alice hugged me once more.

"I still can't believe you're here. You haven't changed a bit. And you're glowing! Vitamins or yoga?" Alice asked.

I laughed. "No. I'm just myself. Happy to be home, though I can say the jet lag is going to take effect soon enough."

Alice laughed and took another cookie. "So you're really back, huh?"

"Yes Alice. I'm back."

Edward groaned. "If you two are about to talk about girly stuff and start to paint your fingernails like you used to when we were ten, I'm outta here."

Alice and I laughed.

"Oh, come on, Edward. We weren't going to do all that stuff. I think we've grown out of that stuff. Well, I have at least," I said. "Actually, I never really liked to paint my nails."

"Still, I'm out of here. Taking a stack of cookies and going up to do my homework," Edward said, piling four cookies on top of one another and walking toward the door.

At the door, he stopped and turned around. "Welcome home, Bella." With that, he winked and walked off.

Alice and I looked at each other and then burst out laughing. When we were done laughing a few minutes later, we debated on what to do.

"How long do you have here?" Alice asked. She was still giddy, though she was trying hard not show it.

"Eh, I have a couple hours before I have to go home and start supper for Charlie. Honestly, I really don't know _how_ he's managed to survive these nine years I've been gone, because when I left the house this afternoon, there was absolutely nothing. I ended up eating half a box of Chewy Granola Bars."

Alice burst out laughing. "How about we watch a movie?"

I glared at her. "What is so funny about me eating half a box of Chewy Granola Bars? And sure, a movie sounds good."

"I don't know. You've never eaten a half a box of Chewy Granola Bars before for lunch," Alice said as she picked the plate of cookies up and walked out of the room. I followed her.

"Not going to say any more, you've made your point," I giggled.

We settled down on the couch next to each other, turning on _Finding Nemo_. It was a kids movie, but we both agreed that even though we were seniors in high school, we still had kid left in us.

A few minutes into the movie, Edward walked in.

"I thought you were doing your homework?" Alice asked as he sat down in the big comfy chair.

"What's the matter with me coming down here? I love _Finding Nemo_," said Edward.

Alice took a cookie and bit into it. "You don't like _Finding Nemo_. You said it was lame."

Edward shrugged. "I decided it wasn't all that bad." I saw his eyes go down to where the necklace he had given me still lay on my collarbone.

"Whatever," Alice said, and looked at me, grinning and wiggling her eyebrows at me. When I mouthed 'what' to her, she only smiled and turned her attention to the T.V.

An hour and a half and a plate of cookies later, Alice, Edward, and I were still found in the living room, lounging and finishing the last fifteen minutes of the movie.

I had found myself falling asleep. I assumed that it was from jet lag, but I wasn't sure. To my extreme embarrassment, I had found myself crying at the movie. The tears didn't roll down my face, but they were threatening to come out in a flood of tears at the part when Marlin, Nemo's dad, floated down to the bottom of the Australian ocean and told Nemo that he was there and that it would be all right.

"This is so pathetic," I told Alice.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm crying at the most silliest thing in a movie," I said.

Alice and Edward laughed.

"It's not funny!" I said.

"Bella, it's a cartoon. It's okay. They're not real. They're fake fish," Edward said.

I mentally told myself the words Edward had just spoken. "Okay. Forget that I was crying at the stupidest thing."

Alice giggled and we finished watching the movie.

By the time the movie was over, it was four thirty. I decided that it was time for me to go home.

After saying good-bye, Edward waved and walked up the stairs, possibly to go do homework. As soon as he was gone, Alice turned to me and said excitedly, "Can you believe it?" She was obviously talking about Edward.

"Believe what? He just came downstairs to watch the movie with us," I said as we walked to the front door.

"Yes, but he did it because…. Don't tell me that you didn't see it," Alice said.

"Alice, what?"

Alice smiled and giggled lightly. "Can't you see that he likes you? After all these years that you've been gone, he still likes you. And you're still wearing the necklace he gave you."

I blushed. Maybe he did like me still.

"Oh, my gosh. Do you still like him?" Alice asked. She looked excited about something.

I glance around to make sure Edward wasn't around. "Well, kind of."

Alice squealed and hugged me. "I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

"Okay, Alice. I think I'm gunna go now, because I think you're going to blow my ear off," I said while I put my coat on.

"Okay. Sorry. I'm just really excited that you're home permanently. I'm sure Jasper, Rose, and Emmett will be thrilled to hear you've come home." When she said Jasper's name, I could see Alice blush.

"And why are you blushing, missy?" I asked with a smile on my face.

Alice grinned and said, "Because Jasper and I sort of got together. I mean, we're not related, and we figured out at the beginning of high school that we loved each other. It's the same with Emmett and Rosalie, too. Can I tell Jasper that you're home? He can tell Emmett and Rosalie."

I smiled and sighed. "Okay."

Alice hugged me and said, "Bye, Bella. Welcome home."

"Thanks," I said as I hugged her back. "It's so good to see you again."

As I moved out the door I said, "Say good-bye to Esme and say hello to Carlisle for me."

"Okay! Bye!" Alice called over the now pouring rain. She waved.

I waved back and ran toward my truck, which I just see as I made my way to it through the torrential down pour. I slammed the truck door shut and turned the engine on. The roar of the engine felt like a comfort to me, and I turned the heater on with a smile on my face.

I truly was home.

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Author's Note: Okay, you may think I have no life as the second chapter is out already. But, I had this chapter and the next chapter written already, and I'm wroking on the fourth chapter. I think, in this chapter, I made Alice a little too giggle and excited, but that's who she is. But trust me, she'll get REALLY shrieky and a little too excited in the chapters to come, so be forewarned.

I hope you liked this chapter! Review! NerdyGuRu2


	4. My First Day at Forks High

Disclaimer: Hey, It's me again. I don't own anything.

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Chapter Three: My First Day at Forks High

The next morning, Tuesday, was my first day of school at Forks High.

When I woke up that morning, I dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt with a zip-up sweater. After I was dressed, I looked in my mirror and saw that my hair wasn't going to cooperate, so I pulled my brown hair into a ponytail.

After, I trudged down the stairs to the kitchen, where Charlie was making scrambled eggs and bacon on the stove.

Breakfast was rather silent; Charlie was obviously enjoying his breakfast, and I wasn't in the mood to talk: I had to admit that I was a little nervous about starting school. But Edward and Alice were going to be there.

Charlie wished me luck at school and then left. I sat there for a few moments and then looked at the clock, and seeing it was time to leave.

I gathered my school bag from my room and headed outside to drive to school.

It was a two mile drive to Forks High, and it was one of those schools that had a turn off for a driveway. Luckily, there was a sign that said: FORKS HIGH SCHOOL. I drove down the road and found it more easily after that.

Hoping I wasn't too early, I parked my tuck in front of the admissions office and walked in. Inside was nice and warm, and there were more green plants to stare at. Was this town obsessed with green or something?

The lady at the desk looked up when I entered. I cautiously walked up to the desk, putting on my best smile.

"Hello. I'm Isabella Swan. I transferred here from the high school in Phoenix," I said.

"Oh, yes. Fill this out and then have your teachers sign the end of this slip, and then bring them back at the end of the day," the lady said in a bored sounding voice, pulling a file out of a filing cabinet.

She handed me a piece of paper and I filled it out, handing it back to her. Then she gave me the slip for the teachers to sign. Then she placed a map on the counter and talked me through my classes, highlighting the easier routes to each class.

As I was leaving the admissions office, I saw that I had been early, as cars were now parked on the other side of the parking lot. I was glad that there weren't any fancy cars. My truck would fit right in.

I moved my truck to where the other cars were parked. I sat there for a few moments, trying to memorize the routes on the school map.

When I got cold enough, I folded my map and put it into my bag, and got out of the car.

It was my first day at Forks High, and I was going to get through it.

After I handed the slip to the teacher of my first class, English, and he had signed it, I turned around to find a desk to sit at. I spotted Alice sitting in the middle of the class room. When she saw me, she waved excitedly, and waved me over to the desk next to hers.

"Hey, Bella!" she said as I sat down.

"Hey," I said.

"So, how was your first night back in Forks?" she asked, smiling. She was full of smiles these days.

I shrugged. "It was fine, I guess."

"Fine?" said Alice.

The first bell sounded then, and I was relieved that the class was going to start soon, which meant that it was closer to one less school day of my senior year.

Alice looked at my class schedule and found that she was in all of my classes except for biology and gym. When she handed me my schedule back, she said, "You have Biology the same period as Edward."

I could feel a blush coming up in my cheeks. Why did I have to blush at the mention of his name, especially in front of his sister? "Really?"

"Yes. I told you that you liked him, see you're blushing," she said, gesturing toward my blush.

I didn't have time to say anything except give her a pointed look that clearly said "I don't like him", as class started just then, which I was eternally grateful for.

After that class, as me and Alice were walking to our next class, Trigonometry, a voice called behind us. We turned around and saw Edward coming towards us, his lanky build bobbing through the crowd of students.

"Hey, guys," he said, catching up to us.

"Hey, Edward," Alice said.

We stood there for two seconds in silence before Edward said, "So, Bella, how are you liking Forks High?"

"It's okay. I guess. But I've only had one class so, I don't have an opinion yet," I said, looking down at my feet, trying to control my blushing.

"So, I'll, uh, I'll catch up with you guys later. We have the same lunch period, so, uh, see you," Edward said, smiling at me before waving and walking off.

I slapped my hands to my forehead. "Great. Am I still blushing?"

Alice nodded, smiling like she knew something deep down inside. "Yes, you are. Seriously, you like him. You started blushing the moment he walked up."

I looked down at the floor as we walked. "I didn't say I didn't like him. He's my friend, nothing more."

"Oh, that'll change, sister, that'll change!" Alice said.

"Oh, real –" I got cut off by knocking into someone. "I'm sorry – Mike?!" I was looking up into the face of Mike Newton, our old rivalry from middle school.

"Hey, Bella. So you decided to come back, huh?" he said, smiling a smile at me that I assumed was supposed to be a charming smile. Ha, yeah right, Mike. If you're trying to dazzle someone, try someone else. "What changed your mind, Bella?"

"What do you want, Mike?" Alice asked when she saw me look down at the floor for the third time that day, this time in an uncomfortable way.

"Hey, I'm just asking," Mike said.

"Go ask someone else. I just decided to come back. I figured it was time." With that said, I stalked off to my next class. Watch me end up going to wrong direction. I had no idea why I was suddenly so angry, but that question just made me want to punch something.

I didn't care. Why would I tell anyone that? What the real reason was for me coming back. I didn't want to tell anyone, and I didn't want anyone to find out.

Alice caught up with me. She pulled on my arm, causing me to stop. "What was that back there? All of a sudden you just flare up in anger and stalk off. You've never done that before. And, personally, I thought that that was amazing! Real Rosalie attitude!"

I smiled slightly, sighing. "I don't know. All of a sudden, I get flared up and it burst out of me like it wanted to and I couldn't stop it."

"Okay. Come on, we're going to be late for Government, which, I think, no one needs," Alice said as we began to walk towards Government.

"Well, if you plan one day to run for parliament," I said.

"Isn't that only in Britain?" Alice asked. I laughed, shrugging my shoulders.

The rest of the day passed smoothly and just a teeny bit slow. I had managed to get through my first day at school.

Now I just had… four or so months left of high school to endure.

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	5. Tests Can Tell Your Future

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

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Chapter Four: Tests Can Tell Your Future

It was almost February Vacation. This meant a whole week with Alice, Edward, and the rest of the Cullen's.

Edward and I had begun to become more comfortable with each other a week after my arrival in Forks. He spent more time around me and Alice, and I admittedly was growing attached to having him around. According to Alice, whenever he entered a room, my eyes would light up and my face would break into a smile.

Alice was so happy to having me around. She had yet to take me on one of her shopping sprees, as she had told me a week after my arrival. I wasn't looking forward to it. Little did I know then that in the near future, she would be taking me shopping a lot.

Five weeks after what happened back in Phoenix, and four weeks after my arrival in Forks, my life and my life plans changed forever.

It was a Monday morning when I had begun to get a little worried. I was supposed to get my period a half a week before, and I had never been late before. So, figuring that it was probably just nothing, I waited two more days.

Wednesday afternoon, when I got home from school, my period still hadn't come. I figured that it might be just from the change of school districts, maybe I was coming down with something. Maybe… oh, no. No, it couldn't be that.

I ran from the kitchen up to my bedroom. I tore across it to my calendar that was hanging on the wall. I counted back the weeks from today to the time a few weeks ago when… it had happened.

It was the right amount of time.

I couldn't be… no, there was no way possible. I couldn't be… could I?

As I walked back down stairs, I looked through my calendar. I noted that I hadn't had started my period since that last few days of December. That's almost two months! Oh great. Now it was evident.

I sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table and sat there a few moments, thinking.

Finally, I got up, grabbed my coat and keys and headed out the door. I got in my truck, started the engine and drove to the pharmacy drugstore in town. All the way there, I was getting my nerves up to make myself go in the store and grab them.

When I got to the store, I sat in the parking space in front of the store for a few minutes, gathering up enough courage.

Finally after getting enough wit, I marched into the store. Making sure no one I knew was at the register or around the aisle I was headed for, I headed to the feminine aisle. I looked at all the different boxes of pregnancy test, feeling highly embarrassed. Grabbing five different tests that looked accurate enough, I turned around to go pay for them… and bumped straight into someone. Oh, my god.

Thankfully, it was just a random guy in overalls pushing a cleaning mop and bucket.

I smiled nervously at him, a massive blush creeping up into my face.

I walked to the register. Thankfully, it wasn't anyone I knew. It was just an old lady.

As I placed the tests on the counter, the lady looked a little surprised to see that a teenage girl was buying pregnancy tests.

When she handed me the bag and I handed her the change, the old lady said, "Good luck. You're going to need it."

I gave her a look of shock before I walked out of the drugstore. I slowly got into my truck.

As I drove home in the slow pace that my truck drove in, I was deeply immersed in my thoughts. What was I going to do if I was pregnant? Should I run and skip the idea of college and high school diploma and just get away from Forks? No, something deep inside told me that this was the place I belonged.

By the time I got home, which was a few minutes later, I didn't know what to think.

I went into the house and went up to the small bathroom Charlie and I shared.

With shaking hands, I did all the tests, not able to think. After, I went down to the kitchen, brining all the test strips with me. I laid them on the table in front of me, and I prayed all of them would turn out negative. The five minutes I had to wait was the most excruciating long moments I had ever endured in my life.

As I sat at the kitchen table, waiting, I watched the numbers on the clock on the stove. That made it even slower.

Finally, the five minutes had passed.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, I picked up the first test, my eyes closed. _Please, dear God. Please let them be negative,_ I prayed.

I opened my eyes. Two strips. Pink strips. It was positive. I was pregnant. I looked at the other tests. All positive.

I sat there, feeling nothing. My hand traveled slowly to my stomach. Was there really a tiny person growing inside me? I looked down at my stomach, which was flat. There was no way a person could be living inside me. There's no room.

I took a deep breath and stood up. I wasn't going to think about this right now. If it was true, I had nine months to think about it. Or maybe less. I went to the bathroom and brought the boxes and instructions for them down stairs to the kitchen, where I stuffed the tests back into their boxes. Taking many paper towels, I wrapped them around the boxes, stuffing them deep down into the kitchen trash can. Then I put some more paper towels over it, so Charlie wouldn't find them.

Then I took the portable phone that was laying on the kitchen counter and dialed Alice's cell phone number with shaky hands.

By the time Alice answered the phone, I was about to start crying.

"Hello?" came Alice's voice from the other end.

"Hi, Alice. Do you have a few moments?" I asked. I was trying to make my voice so it sounded normal.

But it didn't work because Alice said, "Are you alright, Bella? Your voice sounds shaky."

I took a deep breath and said, "Um, yeah, I'm okay. I just… I just need to tell someone, and I didn't know who was better to tell than you."

"What is it?" Alice asked. Her voice sounded worried.

"I don't know how to do it over the phone. I mean, I found out like five minutes ago, and now I don't know if it was the right thing to call you, because I don't know how you'll react, and I haven't told anyone yet."

"I'll be right there. I was on my way anyway over there, and I was just about to call you to see if you wanted to have a homework party. Yes, I know, people don't do it anymore," Alice said. I could hear the amusment in her voice.

"No, that's fine. Come on over. Maybe it'll be a little easier telling you to your face," I said, leaning against the counter and looking down at my feet.

"Bella, what is it?" Alice asked. Her voice was full of worry again, and I hated it when her voice was filled with unnecessary concern.

"It's nothing. Really, it isn't," I lied. Of course it was. It was something that was a huge problem.

"Okay. I'll be right there. Bye," said Alice.

"See you," I said, and pushed the off button on the phone. I placed it on the counter behind me, trying hard not to cry. To get my mind off of things, I walked upstairs in a daze to get my school bag. By the time I got back downstairs, the doorbell rang. I put my bag on the kitchen table and hurried to get the door.

There was Alice, standing with her bag slung across her shoulder.

Without thinking, I embraced her in a hug.

"Bella. Can't. Breathe," Alice said, sounding like the air was being squeezed out of her. I let her go.

"Sorry. I'm just really happy to see you," I said. I stepped aside to let her in.

Alice looked at me, and I saw her face was a tiny bit confused. But she raised her eyebrows and let them drop again, obviously letting my hug slide.

We walked into the kitchen, and got our school books out and started work. I was really glad Edward hadn't come along. I would _die_ of embarrassment if he had.

As we worked on our homework, I tried to think of ways to tell Alice that I was supposedly pregnant. Should I just tell her straight out? Or should I just take a piece of paper, write the words 'I'm pregnant' on it and show it to her? How would she react? Would she hate me when I told her I was pregnant? Oh, gosh, what was I to do? Everybody I knew would shut me out from their lives, for sure. I tried to shut the thoughts from my mind and focus on my homework.

Surprisingly, it did work. By the time Charlie came home from the station two hours later, we were done with our homework, with the exception of our Trigonometry.

When he walked into the kitchen, we saw that he was holding a pizza in his hands. At the aroma, I felt my mouth water hungrily.

"Hey, Bells. Hey, Alice," Charlie said.

"We were just doing our homework," I said.

"Okay. Would you like to stay for supper, Alice?" Charlie asked.

I turned to Alice. "Want to? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I would love to," Alice said, smiling. I could see from her facial expression that she couldn't wait to bite into a piece of pizza. "Let me just call my mom. I'll be right back."

Me and Alice gathered up our school books and brought them upstairs.

When we arrived in my room, Alice set her books down on my bed and I placed my bag on the chair at my desk. Then, Alice turned to me.

"Okay, what's up? You've seemed distracted when we began homework. And I've known you for awhile, and I know when something is up, so tell me."

I looked at my best friend, aware that my eyes were probably betraying me and showing fear. I couldn't tell her. Yet I knew that I had to. But how would I tell her? I knew that I had already gone over this question in my head earlier, but I hadn't come up with the conclusion. I sighed, and finally said, "You have to call your parents to let them know you're having supper here."

"Don't change the subject, Bella," Alice said, but I could see her hand already moving to her jeans pocket where her cell phone was.

"I promise I will tell you. But right now, I'm still figuring a way out of how to tell you. I promise I'll tell you after supper," I promised.

Alice said, "Okay. But you have to keep your promise. Your mind's been on something all afternoon, and I am determined to find out what it is. I have a feeling that it's making you scared."

"Oh, you have no idea how scared I am," I said, sitting down on the bed next to Alice.

Alice flipped open her phone and dialed her home phone number. "Hi, Edward. I'm going to be at Bella's house for a little longer, so tell mom that I'm not going to be home for supper. Why? Because I can tell Bella needs some girl time with me." She was silent for a moment and then said, "It's probably none of your business. I don't even know what's up. Yes, Bella is right here. Tell mom I'll be home soon and to not worry." Silence for a couple seconds longer and then Alice said, "You don't believe me? Okay, I'll put her on."

Alice held the phone out, saying, "He wants to talk to you."

"Why?" I asked, but took the phone anyway. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bella. Where are you and Alice? Just wanted to make sure," I heard Edward's voice come from the other end.

"We're in my bedroom. You got your proof so…" I handed the phone back to Alice and she took it from me, grinning.

"Hey, Edward. It's Alice. Good-bye!" Alice flipped the phone shut. "Let's go down and eat!"

We laughed and headed down the stairs.

All through dinner, Alice kept shooting me looks that plainly said, 'I suspect you know something and I want to know what it is.' I kept shooting looks back at her that plainly said, 'You'll find out.' Between the three of us, we devoured the whole pizza.

When we were done, Charlie sauntered into the living room like always to watch a game on T.V. I swear he should become a sports writer or something with the amount of sports he watches.

After making sure he was out of the room, Alice asked, "So, what's up?"

I gave a resigned sigh and stood up, taking the pizza box and putting it in the trash can (We didn't have any recyclables, and we barely – if ever – got soda). Then I made time by taking the plates from the table and putting them in the sink to wash later.

"Quit stalling," Alice said. She gave me a look that said, 'Tell me now.'

Again, I gave a slight sigh and knew I couldn't put it off any longer. I jerked my head towards the door and went upstairs to my bedroom, Alice following.

Once we were safely in my bedroom, I locked my bedroom door after making sure that Charlie was too immersed in the sports game on T.V. to hear what I was about to tell Alice. I walked to my bed where Alice was perched on the end of the bed and sat down.

"Now, I know I've put this off all afternoon, and I am going to tell you now. But I really have no idea how to tell this to you, because this doesn't happen every day," I said.

"Just tell me. Are you sick?" Alice asked.

I looked down at my legs which were crossed and closed my eyes, willing the tears not to come. It was no use. They started flowing down my cheeks as I looked back up and looked at my best friend. I shook my head and my mind said, _just tell her! _I decided to obey my mind and said in a voice that was just above a whisper, "I'm pregnant."

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Author's Note: Thanks SO much for the reviews! People actually like the story!!!

So? What did you guys all think? How do think Alice will react to Bella's discovery? Will she hate her? What will she do? You'll have to read on to find out. Thanks so much for reviewing, you guys! I luv ya! NerdyGuRu2


	6. Telling Alice The Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in Twilight. I just own this plotline.

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Chapter Five: Telling Alice the Truth

Alice stared at me with wide, surprised eyes. Her mouth was slowly turning up into a smile. "Are you serious?" she squeaked. She sounded excited, so… that meant she was okay with it… right? She leaned forward and hugged me.

"I'm not sure," I said, after Alice pulled back and sat back into her original position. "I mean, I took five tests this afternoon. That's why I called you. I needed to tell someone and I knew that it was you who I could trust." I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes again and wiped them away with the back of my hand, frustrated.

"What did the tests say?" Alice quietly asked. I knew she was still processing it, and I knew that it would take only a few moments.

I looked at her. "Positive. They all said positive."

"Oh, Bella!" Alice said, throwing her arms around me once again. I sat motionless for a few seconds before I wrapped my arms around her, too. We sat there on my bed for a few moments like that.

When Alice pulled away, I was surprised to see her smiling. "Why the heck are you smiling?" I asked. I wanted to glare at her, but I suddenly felt so tired, like I had been running a long ways, and yet, it was only quarter to seven.

Alice giggled. "Don't you see, Bella? You're going to be a –"

I cut her off by saying "shh!" Charlie didn't know yet, and I didn't want him to come storming upstairs, demanding to know what was going on.

"What?" Alice asked.

"Speak a little quieter. I don't want Charlie to find out. At least not yet," I said.

"Sorry." Alice lowered her voice a little before saying, "Don't you see, Bella? You're going to be a mom."

I looked at her. "We don't know for sure."

"Listen, I'll call Carlisle and ask him if he can fit you in for a doctor's appointment with him tomorrow after school. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to," Alice said.

My eyes widened. I couldn't do that! It was Alice's father, for gosh sakes! I couldn't tell him that I was… supposedly pregnant! "No! I would _die _of embarrassment."

"Come on, Bella. Carlisle is really good at keeping his word. I'm sure he won't tell anyone if it turns out that you're really pregnant," Alice said. She was already inching her hand toward her phone.

I sighed. Should I? I mean, Carlisle – of all people – would find out what had happened, and I wasn't looking forward to it. Oh, god this was going to be embarrassing. "Fine, Alice. But I swear, if this turns out to be a false alarm, I am never stepping foot in the Cullen house again."

Alice grinned triumphantly and pulled out her phone. She dialed a number and after a second, she handed the phone to me.

I pushed it back to her. Alice shook her head and gave me a pointed look. I sighed and took the phone, placing it on my ear.

A female voice sounded. "Forks General Hospital, Sheryl Brooks speaking, how may I help you?" The voice sounded bored and bland.

I fought back the nervousness and said, "Uh, hi. I need to make an appointment with Dr. Carlisle Cullen, please."

"Name?"

Alice was nodding her head through the whole last sentence that I had just said, and I fought back the urge to glare at her. "Isabella Marie Swan."

"Okay. Dr. Cullen is free at 2:45 tomorrow afternoon. Does that work?" asked the receptionist.

I said, "Yes, that would work fine."

When the conversation ended thirty seconds later, I flipped the cell phone shut and handed it back to Alice.

"What?" Alice asked.

"I don't know. I don't know what to think right now," I said, mentally and physically exhausted.

Alice gave me a sympathetic look and put her pixie like hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

I could only nod. It would be… right?

"I should probably get going. I still have homework. Have you ever noticed that you can do homework super faster than me?" Alice asked, standing up and stretching.

I stood up too. "What do you mean? I thought you only had Trigonometry left?"

Alice looked a little guilty. "Well, I kind of daydreamed a little." She shifted her school bag to her shoulder.

I laughed and shook my head.

"So, I'll meet you outside of the gym tomorrow after school?" Alice said as we started for the door.

I stopped dead in my tracks. "What do you mean?" I knew exactly what she meant though.

"I'm going with you. For mental support," Alice said. I gave her a pointed look. "And I want to see if you actually are…" – she lowered her voice – "pregnant. It would be so exciting I you were!"

"Alice, please. Let's not talk about it, okay? I honestly don't think that I can take any more of this today. All I can think about is a nice dark place where I am asleep and nothing about… you know, can bother my thoughts," I said.

Alice chuckled lightly. "I know. I would be, too. Get some sleep tonight, Bella."

We walked downstairs and I stepped out onto the porch with Alice for a couple moments to say good-bye.

"Thanks for telling me, Bella," Alice whispered. She pulled me into a hug.

When we broke apart, I smiled and whispered, "You're welcome."

And with that, she waved bye as she walked down the steps to her car, which was a yellow Porsche. I waved after her.

When she was gone, I went back inside the house. I stopped in the doorway of the living room to say good-night to Charlie.

"Good-night, Bells. Going to bed so early?" he asked.

"Well, I still have a little bit of homework left and them I'm going to bed. I'm really tired," I said.

"Okay."

I went upstairs and changed into a comfy pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt, pulling my hair back into a ponytail. I brushed my teeth, washed my face and then went back to my bedroom where I sat on my bed with my Trigonometry textbook and notebook. We had only been assigned six problems, and I was really glad about that. As soon as my pencil made the last mark of the last problem, I shut my book and laid it on the floor next to the bed.

Hoping that sleep would soon fall upon me, I curled up under my covers.

Sleep didn't treat me well. Through the night, my dreams were disturbed by nightmares about the night it had happened. Then they changed to me, sitting in the doctor's office, getting the horrible news that I was pregnant with eighteen babies.

I sat straight up, and it took me a few minutes to realize that I was still in my bedroom. I sighed and looked at the clock. I groaned. 5:00 a.m. This pregnancy thing was going to be the death of me, I swear.

When I met Alice in English two and a half hours later, I sat down at my desk next to her and looked around us, making sure no one was in the room.

Even so, I wrote my words down onto a piece of paper. _I can't do it, Alice. I had a dream last night that I was going to have eighteen babies. My stomach is going to be huge!_

Alice took the paper and read it, laughing. She took out her pen and wrote, _you won't give birth to eighteen babies. I don't think that would be possible. And you are going to do great. _

After I read what she wrote, I wrote back, _we don't even know for sure that I'm pregnant._

"That's why we're going to Carlisle after school. And yes, I'm going with you," Alice said in a whispered. Her voice sounded excited.

"You never told anyone in your household, did you, Alice? I don't think I would be able to see Edward face to face again," I said.

"I didn't tell them. I was dying to tell Jasper, but I didn't, because I knew you would shoot me," Alice said.

I could only smile nervously at her before the bell for the start of class rung.

All through that day, I managed to keep the words 'my baby' out of my mind by concentrating on school. I was really relieved when the bell for lunch came. I wasn't hungry, but I was sure that Alice would make me eat something. And something… healthy, at that. I didn't mind healthy food, as Renee always made Charlie and I eat it when we all lived together in Forks. But the thought of having cafeteria healthy food, I wasn't interesting in.

All through lunch, I knew that Edward knew I had something on my mind. I did have something on my mind. How was I going to tell Alice what really happened and the real reason I came home? I didn't know how she would react to _that_. I mean, she was Alice.

"Bella?" I was jerked out of my thoughts as Edward's voice broke through.

I jumped, startled, and said, "Yes?"

"Are you alright? You've seemed to have a lot on your mind these last couple weeks. Actually ever since you came home, though you've always tried to hide it," Edward said.

Alice and I looked at each other.

"Yes, I do have a lot on my mind right now, thank you for worrying." I tried not to make my voice sound snappy, but it kind of failed.

"Sorry. Just asking," Edward said, holding his hands up in defense.

"It's not your fault," I said, gathering my lunch tray and standing up.

I walked out of the cafeteria after discarding the contents on my tray. I was right; Alice had tried to get me to eat healthy foods.

There had only been a couple minutes left of lunch anyway, so I headed toward my next class, Biology. This was the class with… Edward. Great, just great. I couldn't help my mood. I knew it wasn't Edward's fault; he was just asking as a good friend. But I couldn't tell him that the thoughts on my mind were about things that when I told him, I believed that it wasn't going to be nice. Biology wasn't going to be nice.

When I met Alice outside of the gym, she looked like she could bounce right through the ceiling.

"Why are you bouncing and looking so happy. This isn't good. This is way beyond not good, so please stop acting like you're going to ounce through the ceiling, which I'm pretty sure you can't reach," I said, giving her a stern look.

"Sorry. I'll stop," Alice said, but I could tell that she was bubbling with excitement. Just wait until you hear what I'm going to tell you, Alice. Then you won't be bouncing with excitement.

As we were walking out to the parking lot, Edward caught up with us.

"Hey, guys. Where are you guys going?" he asked.

For some reason, I could feel anger bubbling up inside me, but I managed to keep it under control as Alice calmly said, "We have someplace to be soon, and it's none of your business."

As we continued to walk away from Edward, she called over her shoulder, "Tell mom I'm with Bella for a couple hours. We'll be home later."

"Where are you going?" Edward called.

"It's none of your business. Bella asked me to go somewhere with her. Don't worry; we're not doing anything stupid!" Alice called back, waving.

"But –" Edward started, but Alice cut him off.

"You'll find out sooner or later, Edward, about what is happening. Bye!" Alice said and we got into my truck, and I started the engine.

All the way to the hospital, I tried to seem calm and cool, like it was normal that a teenager was going to the hospital to see if she was pregnant. But I knew that my face was probably betraying me yet again, and I knew Alice would ask me what was wrong. I was right. Ten minutes of silence, with the exception of the music playing from the old fashioned stereo, and then Alice broke it by saying, "What's up? You look… I don't know… nervous?"

I looked at her briefly. Should I tell her right now? Maybe I should, to get it over with. Maybe then she would understand how I got pregnant. That was, if I was pregnant. I took a deep breath and let it out again, deciding that now was a good time to tell her. "I was raped."

I heard Alice gasp. "What?" I could hear the horror and the remorse in her voice. "Oh, my god. When?"

When I looked at her, I saw her face, and I wanted to break down into tears, right then and there. I decided pulling over to the side of the road would be a good idea, in case I started to not think clearly and not able to focus on the road. So I slowed the truck down and pulled it over to the side of the road. After a moment, I said, "A week and a half before I arrived here. I was walking down the streets of Phoenix. It was the late evening, and Renee and Phil were out of town until the next day. As I was walking from the place where I worked, someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me into a building that I assumed was abandoned. And… then he raped me."

Alice flung her arms around me as soon as I finished speaking. "Oh, Bella!" she said.

We sat there for a couple minutes before I quietly said, "We should go." I realized my voice sounded dull and it sounded as if it had no life to it.

Alice let her arms fall and she sat back into her seat. As I started my truck up again, she said quietly, "So that is the real reason you came back to Forks, huh?"

I nodded silently.

"It wasn't just because you missed all of us?" Alice asked.

Again, I nodded silently. "But I did miss you guys. The first few months living in Phoenix was terrible."

"I know, from your letters," Alice said.

I nodded again, not wanting to talk.

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Author's Note: So, the truth finally comes out! Just to let you know, there will be no flashbacks of what happened to Bella, so don't worry about that.

Next Chapter: Is Bella _actually_ pregnant? What will Carlisle, the calm and cool doctor who will be appearing for the first and not the last time in the story, react to what happened to Bella? You'll have to review in order to get another chapter.

Also, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story! Through the whole story, I now how like twelve reviews, and I have, I think because I didn't keep count, over twenty story alerts for this story! So thank you guys so much!!!

Remember to review before you go. Until next time, NerdyGuRu2


	7. The Appointment With Carlisle

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter Six: The Appointment With Carlisle

We were silent the rest of the drive; I knew that if I spoke, I would burst into tears or my voice would come out sounding all pitiful, and I didn't want that to happen. And I knew that Alice was trying to process the information I had just told her. I felt so bad for her. She had just been told that her best friend had been… well, you know.

As we were walking to the entrance of the hospital, I suddenly felt all of my courage to step into that hospital go away. I stopped dead in my tracks and grabbed Alice's arm with my hand, making her stop.

"What?" she asked.

"I can't go in. What if it actually turns out that I actually _am _pregnant? I can't let that happen. Let's just go home and pretend this never happened," I said. My voice sounded slightly squeaky and high, and I turned around and started walking back to my truck, pulling my keys out of my pocket.

"Oh, no you don't," Alice said. She pulled on my arm, stopping me. She looked me straight in the eye and said, "You're going to be fine. I'll come with you into the room if you want: I'm sure Carlisle will let me come in. Just trust me."

"Okay. You know, you're right. I'm going to go in and find out if I'm actually pregnant and then if I am, I can just… not going to finish that sentence," I said.

"Good," Alice said and pulled me into the hospital. I knew that was beginning to get excited again, and that was sort of wigging me out.

As we sat in the waiting room, me filling papers that asked a ton of questions like my social security number and my birth date that sort of stuff, Alice was calmly flipping through magazines and commenting on the dresses of the stars. I barely heard her, filling out the papers. I gladly took them up to the desk as soon as I had finished writing the last letter on the papers.

Half hour later and a lot of flipping self consciously through magazines, my name was finally called.

"Isabella Swan?"

I mentally cringed at my full name. Why couldn't they say my nickname?

A nurse led Alice and I into an examining room.

"Dr. Cullen will be in shortly," she said, and she left the room.

As soon as she left, I said to Alice, "You know, you didn't have to make me call to make an appointment, especially with your _dad_."

Alice only grinned. "I know. But I think it's probably good that we've made this appointment for you. There's this whole list of things you should and shouldn't do when you're –"

She was cut off by a knock on the door and Carlisle stepping into the room. He looked like a statue made out of human flesh. It was probably a good thing that he was happily married with five grown kids, or the nurses would have been all over him, fighting like piranhas in the Amazon.

"Hello, Bella. Hello, Alice," he said in his thick British accent.

"Hi," I said, while Alice said cheerfully, "Hi, daddy!"

"Nice to see you again, Bella. Now, what seems to be the problem here?" Carlisle asked as he washed his hands in the little sink and turned to look at where I was sitting on the little bed, and at Alice who was sitting in the chair next to the bed.

I looked at Alice, and I shot her a look that clearly said, 'tell him and die,' because I knew that she was just dying to burst it out at Carlisle. She looked back at me with an innocent smile. "Uh, I was wondering if you could tell me if I'm actually pregnant or not," I said, and immediately, I felt a blush creep up into my face.

"Are you pregnant?" Carlisle asked, and I looked down at my lap, highly embarrassed.

"I took five tests yesterday, and they all said positive!" I said, looking back up at Carlisle. I was beginning to feel myself getting a tiny bit hysterical, and I tried to control it.

To my immense surprise, Carlisle looked calm and collected. I figured that it must have been from the years of training he had had in his medical practice. He walked to a cabinet on the other side of the room and pulled a small container from it. I could feel my blush deepen. He walked back and handed the container to me saying, "Okay, I'll need you to fill this for me and I'll take it to the lab."

My blush deepening even more, I nodded and took the jar.

"The bathroom is right over there," Carlisle said, pointing to a door at one end of the room.

As I walked past Alice, I shot her a look that said, 'Kill me now, please!' She giggled and I glared at her.

When I came back out, I handed the container back to Carlisle and he said, "I'll be right back. This will only take a few moments."

I sat back down on the bed and said, "I think I have reached the record for the most blushing around doctors."

Alice laughed. "Carlisle doesn't mind."

The next ten minutes were waited in silence. And then the thought occurred to me. I groaned. "Alice, I'm going to have to tell your father what happened. That's going to break the record of my blushing around doctors! Oh, I'm so embarrassed."

"Bella, you will tell him. You have to tell him. He's a doctor, Bella, and he'll handle it as if it was just another day at the hospital, which it is," Alice said, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

The door opened and Carlisle walked through the door. From the look of calmness on his face, I couldn't tell the result.

Carlisle sat down on the little cushioned wheeled stool that was at the desk. Folders were in his hands, and I knew that somewhere in that pile of papers was my answer and my future. Just then, the phrase "Your fate lies within that man's hands" came into my mind, and I mentally cringed at the thought.

"Please tell me I'm not pregnant and that those tests were just cruddy, cheap tests from a drugstore and that they were lying!" I pleaded.

Carlisle, to my surprise, chuckled. "Bella, even though the tests you took _were_ probably cheap from the drugstore in town, I can tell you that they weren't lying."

I felt the color drain from my face as tiny little squeaks came from the direction of Alice.

"Congratulations Bella. You're going to have a baby," Carlisle said. I could hear the happiness in his voice. But it wasn't forced happiness. It was just plain happiness, like he was actually happy for me. And I felt gratitude toward him for that, because I knew that my parents were _not_ going to be happy for me.

I sat motionless on the table. Three seconds after Carlisle ended his sentence with the word 'baby', my mind froze. I couldn't react because I was processing the fact that I was having a real live baby human. I just sat there, motionless and not able to move.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked. "Are you alright?"

I felt my head snap up to look at him. I nodded, looking down again. "Yes. I'm alright. Just shocked, that's all."

"Do you know who the father is, Bella?" Carlisle asked. "Because if it's Edward, I will personally kill him."

My head snapped up. "What?! The baby is not Edward's! Gosh! And no…I don't know who the father is."

Carlisle looked at me with such a look that I wanted to dig myself a hole and crawl into it and not come out for a few years. But when he talked, he had such concern and gentleness in his voice that it made me want to start to cry. "Bella, whatever happened, it will be okay."

I looked over at Alice. She nodded her head. I took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I was raped."

"Is this true?"

I looked at Carlisle, and I was certain that I had shock on my face. "What? You don't believe me? I've never lied to anyone once in my lifetime. You think I would be doing it now?" I could feel my hysteria level rising slowly up, and I knew that it couldn't be good for… my unborn child. I felt Alice's comforting hand on my shoulder.

"I wasn't saying that, Bella," Carlisle said. When he spoke, I could hear concern and sympathy in his voice, and he spoke with such gentleness. "Bella, there are three options. You can carry the baby to term and keep it; carry the baby to term and then put it up for adoption; or have an abortion."

My face had been looking down at my lap again and it snapped up again at the word abortion. "No." I felt a sudden need to protect the human being inside me and no way was I going to end its life just weeks after it started breathing. "No. I'm going to keep it."

I could hear a faint squeal of hope and excitement being let out of Alice. Why was she happy? She wasn't the one who was cursed to carry a living being inside my tiny stomach.

Fifteen minutes later, Carlisle picked up my file and was walking to the door when he turned around and said, "Oh, Bella. Congratulations. I'm sure that you're going to turn out fine."

I smiled at him as he walked out of the room.

Thirty seconds later, Alice and I were walking down the hallway towards the exit.

And then, Alice couldn't contain herself any longer. She let out an excited squeal of joy and happiness and engulfed me in a bone crushing hug.

"Alice," I gasped. I was beginning to run out of air. "Help… get… off… me!"

"Sorry!" squealed Alice. "I can't help it. You're going to be a mother! How exciting is that?"

I looked at her and began walking again, Alice following, still giggling and bouncing with every step with excitement.

When we got to the truck, I could feel myself want to cry, but I couldn't make myself. I felt like I was in a small world with the only people that were alive were me and Alice. I could feel the truth slowly starting to hit me like cold, hard rocks.

Alice and I stood in front of my truck for a moment before Alice said, "Do you want me to drive? You look like you can't comprehend the… concept of driving. In short, you look like you're slowly becoming a zombie."

I chuckled slightly. "No, I'm good."

We got into my truck and I stuffed all the pamphlets about pregnancy and the bottle of prenatal vitamins that Carlisle gave me that I was supposed to take into my school bag. I took my keys from my pocket and started up my truck. Oddly, the roaring noise of the engine coming to life felt like a comfort to me.

As we drove down the road, Alice took the pamphlets out of my bag.

She looked through them and, as she did so, said, "Wow. They actually swim in a sac of fluid?"

I looked at her with a blank look on my face. "You didn't know that? I think that's what they eat once they get a mouth. Though, I don't think my baby's going to be…." I trailed off. It wasn't just my baby. It was someone else's as well. But I didn't know who that someone else was.

I looked back at the road to pay attention to my driving.

Alice noticed the look on my face, and she said, "I'm sure that they'll find whoever who did this to you."

I could only smile sadly at her.

We were silent the rest of the way to the Cullen's.

All different kinds of thoughts were running through my mind. _Where are we going to live after the baby is born? Will I still be able to get a job and pay bills and pay for groceries? What was I going to do after the baby is born? Will I still be able to take a class in art? Will the baby even like me? Would be able to do this? Was I old enough to be a mom? Was there a certain age to become a mom? What the heck was I supposed to do? What was I supposed to tell Charlie? What was I supposed to tell Renee? What about Edward?_

"Bella? You just drove past the driveway to my house," Alice said, breaking into my thoughts.

I realized what I had done. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was caught up in my thoughts."

I drove up to the start of the little clearing and stopped my truck, not turning the engine off.

We sat there for a moment before Alice said, "Aren't you going to pull it up a little farther so that we don't have to walk through the rain? Which, I might add, is pouring buckets?"

I looked at her, giving her a pointed look. "I'm dropping you off."

"Aren't you going to come in? It's a little after four and I'm getting hungry. You can stay for some Rice-A-Roni," Alice said.

I looked at her again and jerked my head towards the house, hoping that she would catch on.

"Bell- oh. I see. You don't want to come into the house because Edward's in there?" Alice said.

"Yes. I don't know how I am going to be able to stay in the same house when he's in there, now that I know I'm actually…." I trailed off, gesturing to my hand to my stomach, which was still looking as flat as ever.

Alice smiled at me. "Bella. He's not going to figure it out _just_ by looking at you. You're going to have to get a little more larger bump to your stomach for him to actually notice."

I glared at her. "Thanks, Alice." I sighed and said, "Fine, I'll come in, but if he so much as takes a look at my stomach, I will kill him."

Alice laughed. "I promise I will kill him for you."

I smiled a pathetic and non-enthusiastic smile and grabbed my bag, stuffing the pamphlets back in.

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Author's Note: So? What did you think? Review and tell me please!

Next chapter. Two words: mental breakdown. There's going to be an awkward day at school for Bella in just a couple chapters, and I can't wait to see how it turns out when I write it. The next chapter will be a continuation of this chapter, so be forewarned. I'm known to do that in my stories.

The next chapter probably won't be out for a couple days, as I'm going to work on my other story on my other screenname, NelloIsMello. But it won't be too long until I next update, so don't worry. I mean, I have absolutely almost nothing to do this vacation, though I do have to finish _The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_.

I'm going to post this and go to bed, seeing as it is four minutes past eleven o clock at night, and I'm getting a little tired. So, Goodnight all, and don't forget to review, please! NerdyGuRu2


	8. What Best Friends Are For

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter Seven: What Best Friends Are For

Alice and I were making Rice-A-Roni when Esme walked into the kitchen with a basket of clean clothes. Well, Alice was making the rice; I told her that I would help make the rice, but she had insisted that I sit down at the Island and let her make it. I guess she didn't want to damage the baby with me lifting a dish into the microwave. Or maybe she didn't want me to lift anything. I reminded her that I wasn't that far along, but she still insisted that I sit down.

"Hey, girls," she said.

"Hi, mom!" Alice said.

"Did you girls just get back? Where did you go?" Esme asked, setting the basket onto the Island.

I looked at Alice. She looked at me with a look that said, 'Tell her.' I shook my head back at her.

She gave a short sigh and turned to Esme, who was looking at us curiously. She came over to the Island and said, "I was at the doctor's with Bella."

Concern filled Esme's sweet face. "Are any of you sick?"

"No, Mom. Uh, Bella asked me to go with her. Well, actually, I sort of went along with her, but it came out good," Alice said. "She's not dying or anything."

I glared at her, sitting motionless.

Esme noticed my glare at Alice and said, "Girls, what's going on?"

"Nothing. We're going up to my room," Alice said, walking out of the kitchen. I followed her.

When we were safely in her room, I turned to her and said, "Dying?!"

Alice put her hands up in defense. "What? That was the only thing I could think of without making Esme worried. You know how much she cares for you as much as she does with me and Edward and then rest of us."

I sighed and flopped down on her bed, covering my face with my hands. I wanted to burst out into tears right then and there, as I hadn't let the tears that had been welling up in my tear ducts go yet. But still, I held them back; I didn't want to seem like a wimp in front of Alice.

I felt Alice lay down on the bed next to me.

"I know that Esme cares about me just as much as she does you guys. But, it feels like the life that I had been living in just two days ago died because I found out about being pregnant," I said, trying to make my voice sound normal. It didn't exactly work.

Alice knew not to say anything. After a couple moments, I said, "Why did this have to happen to me now? Why did this have to happen to _me_?"

"Who knows why it chose you. But Bella-"

I cut Alice off by saying. "Alice, don't."

I got up off the bed and started pacing the floor in front of it. Alice pulled herself up as well and sat Indian style on the bed. "You're right. Who knows? But Alice, I'm eighteen. I can't be a mother at this age. I'm still in high school. I live with my father who can't exactly cook his own food. I mean, I don't know how I'm going to do this. I still have to finish high school and then go to college, and I can't do that while jiggling a newborn baby on my hip."

Alice sat there silently and patiently for the end of my rant.

As I continued, I felt tears come to my eyes. "I don't have a job and I don't have a place to live. Charlie's going to kill me. Renee is going to resurrect me and then kill me after Charlie."

I sat down on the bed and let the tears run down my face. My shoulders shook with quiet sobs as I sat on the bed. I felt Alice's arm wrap around me.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," she said. She wrapped me in a hug, trying to calm me. "It's going to be alright."

We sat there, me crying into Alice's shoulder and Alice trying to comfort me and somewhat succeeding.

I finally managed to make myself stop crying a few minutes later. That's when I began to go on about the things that were in my head on the drive from the hospital. "Where would we live? Would I still be able to go to art classes? Will I still be able to…to pay bills and groceries? I'm not old enough to become a mom." My voice was dead sounding, like it had no life in it.

Alice put her hands on my shoulders and turned me around to make me face her. "It's going to be okay, Bella. I'm sure you'll figure it out. I know that you'll find a place to live. And, if you don't, you can just come live here after we graduate. You'll get a job. I'm sure you will. Bella, we're all here for you. You know that."

I looked at her through my wet eyes. "Are you sure?"

Alice smiled. "Of course I am."

I half heartedly smiled back. "Thanks, Alice."

Alice pulled me in for a hug. "You're welcome. You'll be able to do it, Bella. You're a smart girl. You'll figure it out one step at a time."

I hugged Alice back, tears shining in my eyes. "You're right. I will be able to do this," I said, pulling back.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you, Bella. I know I didn't say it to you before," Alice said.

I sighed and looked down. "Yeah, I know. But don't worry about it. It's in the past. Now I just have to deal with the result it came out to be."

Alice giggled. "I can't _wait_ to take you shopping!"

I groaned. "Alice, you really should go see a councilor about this or something. It may do you good. You spend SO much money in like two hours, stop for lunch, then spend _more_ money shopping for _more _clothes!"

Alice giggled again. "I can't help it. It's my hobby."

I rolled my eyes, sighing. I pulled Alice in for a last hug. "You're the best friend anyone could ever have."

Alice whispered in my ear, "Thanks, Bella. Everything will turn out in the end. Don't you worry. We should probably go and see if the rice is done."

We were walking down the hall to the stairs when we heard Edward's voice behind us.

"So where did you guys go after school this afternoon? You were gone quite a while."

I turned around so fast that I nearly hit Alice in the face with my hand. "Nothing that is your business that you should be concerned about, mister. It was something rather private between me and Alice and I don't intend on sharing it anytime within the next week with you."

With that I walked down the stairs, anger bubbling up inside me. I didn't know what came over me, but I didn't mean to snap at Edward. It was just that I didn't intend on him finding out anytime soon. Maybe in a few years I would tell him that I had been pregnant.

I stalked into the kitchen, Alice coming in a moment later.

"Oh my gosh. What was that?" Alice said. She sounded awed.

I leaned against the counter, putting my face in my hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at him."

"It's okay, Bella. I know you didn't mean to. I mean, that was just amazing! I don't think anyone has ever called him mister since he was like eight and always used to get into trouble with Jasper and Emmett. Oh, mom used to get so mad at them," Alice said, opening the microwave door and taking the casserole dish from it.

"Oh, this whole pregnancy thing is going to be the death of me, Alice," I said.

Alice giggled, stirring the rice.

There was a sound that sounded like a drop of a basket and Alice turned around while my head snapped up.

There was Esme, arms out like she had been holding a basket, which she had been. The basket was now on the floor. On her sweet, heart-shaped face I could read a mixture of emotion: shock, surprise, happiness, and confusion.

Nobody spoke for a moment until I finally broke the silence. "Yes Esme. I'm pregnant."

"Is it Edward's?" she asked, whispering.

I shook my head, blushing. _Please, oh please don't ask how I got pregnant! It was bad enough telling Carlisle!_ I begged in my mind. I really didn't want –. However, the plead in my mind was denied.

"Then how..?" Esme asked, and I knew that she was only asking, just wondering, not trying to be offensive.

I looked at Alice, who mouthed, _tell her_.

I took a deep breath and said, "I… uh, I was raped." I said the last words quietly, and I felt my blush go up even more. I was really embarrassed to tell Esme, but at least it was out in the open. To Esme, Carlisle, and Alice, at least.

Shock and sympathy filled Esme's features. She looked at Alice, who nodded in confirmation. "Oh Bella!" she said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. It's in the past now," I said, repeating the words I had said in Alice's room.

"Are you sure _you_ are alright?" Esme asked, pointing a look at me that was one of sternness and motherly.

I nodded.

A moment later, Alice and I were sitting at the Island, eating chicken flavored Rice-A-Roni and talking about something other than the subject of the baby, which I knew Alice, was just _dying_ to talk about – I had told her not to say anything about it anymore that day. Esme had left the kitchen with the basket of towels that had dropped to the floor. I could tell that she wanted to talk about the baby as well, but she knew that I needed some space of thinking about it.

Edward walked into the kitchen when we were halfway through our first helping of the rice. When he saw me, he turned right around and started to walk right out the door, but I caught him just before he disappeared.

"Edward, stop," I said.

He turned around and said, "Yes, Bella?"

"I'm sorry for that little outburst upstairs earlier. I didn't think. I just reacted to what you said," I said.

A slight smile appeared on Edward's face. I remembered just in the nick of time to breathe, so that his smile that I was beginning to love wouldn't dazzle me, like it always did. I need to remember to breathe.

"It's alright. I know that it wasn't any of my business. Well, I know that now," he said, and I could see laughter in his eyes.

I scooped some more rice into my mouth, rolling my eyes.

"Want to join us, Edward?" Alice asked.

"Sure, I'm starving!" Edward said, grabbing a bowl from the cupboard.

We sat there, eating the rice and laughing and having a good time, like we used to do before I moved to Phoenix. Alice didn't end up killing Edward, because his eyes never drifted toward my stomach. Until he told me later, I was unaware that his eyes had lingered on my face the entire time we sat at the Island. I almost slipped up a couple times, but I caught myself. I was dreading the time that I had to tell Edward that I was pregnant, but it was nothing compared to what I was dreading when I told Charlie. And even worse, Renee. Oh, I was so dead.

Finally, after eating two bowls of rice, I decided that I had to go home and cook supper for Charlie.

After saying good-bye to me, Edward walked up the stairs back to his bedroom.

Alice walked me to the door to say good-bye. She said, "Maybe you should butter things up with Charlie tonight."

I froze in the middle of putting on my coat. "What?"

Alice burst out laughing. "I meant when you tell him."

I gave her an incredulous look as I put my shoulder bag across my chest. "Alice..."

"No, listen. Make something that he _really_ likes for dinner, and then sit down across from him and say, 'Dad, I'm pregnant'."

I gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Uh, no!"

"Why not?!" Alice asked a smile on her face.

"Because, I am not telling him tonight. I am just going to do my homework and then go to bed. Add the cooking for my father part in," I said.

"Okay. It is your choice. But I have to tell you, Bella. You have got to tell him that you're pregnant and what happened to you," Alice said.

"I know," I said quietly. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you in school tomorrow. Thank goodness the weekend is coming up."

"Bye."

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Author's Note: So, here's another chapter. I think I'm going to post this chapter tomorrow, because it's a little past 11:00 p.m. and I getting tired.

But, before I go, I have one question. What do you want Bella to have? A boy or a girl? I, personally, think Bella should have a girl, but what do you guys think?

What did you think of the chapter? I know the scene with Esme was really short, but I'm not very good at writing scenes like that. Anyhow, remember to review please! I'll post this in the morning, so goodnight! NerdyGuRu2


	9. Shopping With Alice And Telling Charlie

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight!

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Chapter Eight: Shopping With Alice And Telling Charlie

Miraculously, I had managed to survive the weekend without telling Charlie or spilling my secret to Edward. I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep my secret for much longer, once I hit the morning sickness stage and was sensitive to every single smell my nose came in contact to.

A few days later, it was the start of February Vacation. I was glad of this because 1) I could sit around, doing homework at my own speed; 2) Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie were coming home for the week and I was dying to see them again; and 3) I could rest – the whole pregnancy thing was making me more tired than usual.

Sunday morning, four days after my discovery of my pregnancy, I was woken up to a loud knock on my door. Mumbling about being woken up from a nice warm and comfy place, I got up and walked down the stairs, rubbing my eyes. I noticed that Charlie had left for work, as his gun belt wasn't on the table in the hallway.

Just as I opened the door to reveal Alice, I felt a sudden nausea sweep over me. Without thinking of saying hello lest I puke all over Alice, I turned right around and dashed as well as I could up the stairs to the small bathroom Charlie and I shared. Slamming the bathroom door behind me, I managed to make it to the toilet in time before my stomach erupted into the toilet.

Great. Morning sickness. What a great way to start off February Vacation.

Ten minutes later, I walked out of the bathroom to find Alice standing outside the doorway.

Feeling a blush come up into my cheeks out of immense embarrassment, I said, "Good morning."

Alice laughed. "Morning. Morning sickness huh?"

I leaned against the doorframe, my stomach still churning slightly. "Hmhm."

"It is a normal part of pregnancy," Alice said as we began to walk down the stairs.

"I know. Sorry about that. Nice way to greet someone at the door," I said, and Alice laughed.

In the kitchen, I took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. Taking a drink from it, I glance at the clock and nearly choked. "It's nearly 11:00!"

Alice nodded. "Feels nice to sleep in don't it?"

"I guess. Want anything for breakfast?" I asked, stomach churning at the word.

"No, I'm fine, thanks. Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie are coming home today!" she said as she sat down at the table.

"Really? I thought they were coming home like two days ago?" I said, placing a glass of water in front of Alice.

"We did too. But apparently, they got held up at the college. They didn't say on the phone. But you could tell that Emmett sounded a little guilty when we talked to him last night," she said, taking a sip of water. She looked excited about something.

"What are you excited about?" I asked, placing a piece of toast in the toaster. I didn't think that I could handle a bowl of cereal.

"I just can't wait to see Jasper again! Haven't seen him since Christmas break," Alice said. I gave her a look. "Alright," she confessed. "I'm excited about them knowing you're pregnant."

I was taking a sip of my water as she was saying that and I nearly choked for the second time. _Tell_ Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie? Great, three more people added to the list making it add up to a total of six people that I had to tell that I was pregnant! I was going to shoot Alice. "Alice. If you tell them before they find out from me or from anyone else, I will personally shoot you myself. Well, actually I wouldn't really do that. But they add to the list of people for me to tell that I'm pregnant, and I'm already freaking out about Charlie!"

Alice got up and put her hands on my shoulders to calm me down. "Bella, it's alright. I haven't told them yet. But I am dying to tell Jasper. Please let me tell just him."

I looked at her. "No. I still need to tell Charlie, Renee, and Phil."

My toast popped up just then and I grabbed it from the toaster.

"Okay, fine. But you have to tell Charlie soon, now that you've started morning sickness," Alice said.

"I know," I sighed, sitting down at the table with Alice. "So, what brings you over here in the late morning?"

Alice suddenly grinned, as if recalling her idea of coming over here. "Well, it was a good thing that I woke you up. I was thinking that you and I could go shopping!" She smiled her innocent looking smile at me. She knew I hated shopping.

I looked at her. "Shopping? Yeah right, Alice." I could feel my stomach twit uncomfortably at the mention of shopping.

"Esme said that I had the honor of a coming home present for Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie. I thought I would, you know, kidnap you," Alice said, smiling her innocent smile again. I gave her a pointed look. "Okay, okay. We're really not shopping for a welcome home present for them. So, hurry up with eating your toast. Then we're going shopping!"

I groaned and stuffed the last two bites of toast in my mouth and stood up, pushing my chair in.

Alice followed me upstairs to my bedroom, talking all the ways about how excited she was about shopping with me.

I went to my dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, walking to the bathroom to change. While I was in the bathroom, I brushed my teeth twice – hard – to get rid of any trace that I had been sick. I noticed how pale my face was and I hoped it would get some of its color back by the time we met Esme. I ran my fingers through my hair and then pulled it up into a messy ponytail.

When I entered my bedroom, Alice was looking through my collection of books, which was a lot. I had always liked to read books, especially adventure ones and also classics, which were my favorite.

"Wow, you have a _lot_ of books, Bella. Have you read them all? Wait, of course you have. You read so much you should be called Bookworm," Alice said. "Seriously, you should open a bookstore or something."

I snickered and said, "Well, I got my reading habits from my uncle." I found myself wandering to my mirror that was connected to my dresser. I turned sideways, looking at my stomach. It was still as flat as always. After all, it had only been a couple days since I had found out I was pregnant. Surely a baby can't grow that fast, can it?

"Ready to go?" Alice asked. She sounded way too chipper.

"Sure." I grabbed my money sock from in between the mattress and the box spring. I knew that it held a little over $40, so I knew that I could buy at least a couple shirts and some jeans.

"You keep your money in a sock under your mattress?" Alice asked, looking incredulous.

I looked at her. "Yes. I've always put my money in a sock. It's the safest place I know."

Alice rolled her eyes and pulled me down the stairs.

"Woah, slow down, Alice," I said. I didn't want to trip going down the stairs; I did that enough anyways. And I didn't want to upset my stomach again, as it was just beginning to feel normal again.

"Sorry," she said, and she slowed down.

"Hey, Alice," I said as we walked out the door. "Does my stomach look any bigger to you?"

Alice stopped and looked at my stomach. "No. I don't think that it starts to get bigger until you start your third month. We should stop and get you a book on pregnancy on the way home." I smirked at her and walked toward my truck.

That was when I noticed that there wasn't any car in the driveway except mine. "How did you get here? Only my truck is in the driveway. You didn't walk did you?"

"No! Esme dropped me off," Alice said.

"What happened to your car? In the shop?" I asked.

"Uh, well, no. I sort of broke a plate from Esme's set of China and I got in trouble," Alice said.

My eyes widened in amusement and mock surprise. No one ever touched Esme's china set. "You broke a plate off from Esme's china set? Oh, Alice!" I broke out laughing, but had to stop a couple seconds later because it was making my stomach feel sick.

"I didn't mean to! But now I can only shop at the shops in Forks. How unfair is that?" Alice asked, incredulous.

"It's fabulous for me because I don't have to get dragged along in the Port Angeles Mall for ten hours. And it isn't unfair," I said.

Alice glared at me jokingly and said, "Well, we can still find some great deals at Wal-mart."

I laughed and continued to drive along.

We arrived at the store that was equivalent to Wal-mart and I parked the truck, turning the engine off.

We shopped through the store, picking out clothes that we liked. I pointed out that I would only be able to fit into the clothes that I got for only a couple more months, so Alice pulled me over to the maternity section with enthusiasm. I managed to make her promise not to take me shopping for maternity clothes until I needed them, which I didn't at the moment.

"Besides Alice. What if somebody we know sees us buying clothes? That could make them know that I'm pregnant," I said, saying the word 'pregnant' real low so that no one but Alice could hear.

"They're not going to find out. I guess you're right. You're not showing yet anyhow," Alice said.

I nodded.

We were walking past the cell phone counter when Alice suddenly stopped and pulled at my arm, causing me to stop as well.

"What?" I asked.

"You should get a cell phone. That way you can contact someone whenever you're in trouble or need help. Or your ancient truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere," Alice said, looking at me.

"Have some respect to my truck. It has style. And I am pretty sure that it won't break down in the middle of nowhere because that hasn't happened yet and I've had ever since I got here, so it's not going to break down," I said.

"But haven't you ever considered getting a cell phone?" Alice asked.

"Yes," I admitted. "I considered it before I left Phoenix, and before… what happened, but I never got one. In fact, Charlie was talking to me about getting a trac phone the other night."

"Then right now is the perfect time to get one," Alice said, pulling me into the cell phone section.

I had to stop completely to get Alice to slow down. "Alice. Not a cell phone. Those things are expensive, and Charlie and I can't afford to pay for a phone bill. That is why trac phones are so much easier. You don't have to pay a phone bill."

Alice thought about for a second. "Cell phones aren't expensive."

I sighed. "I'd rather get a trac phone. They have really cute ones." I pulled Alice over to the trac phones.

Half hour later, we made our way back to Alice's house, so I could drop her off.

After I parked in the Cullen's driveway, Alice grabbed her bags and we made our way into the house. When we walked through the door, Esme was walking past with a basket of towels. "Hello girls. How was shopping?" Esme asked.

Alice smiled. "I hated shopping at Wal-mart, but now I find that I can find a lot of great deals at Wal-mart.

Esme laughed. "Well, I hope you now know that if you want to continue to shop in the malls, don't break the china."

I giggled as Alice lost her smile and gained a glower on her face.

Alice and I settled down in the living room with freshly made chocolate chip cookies and a movie. A few minutes into the movie, Edward joined us. I had a sudden memory of a few weeks ago when I arrived back in Forks, when Alice, Edward and I were watching Finding Nemo. Once again, I found myself falling asleep on Alice's shoulder.

When I woke up, I was being shaken by Alice's hand.

"Wake up, sleepy head. The movie's over," she said.

I noticed that Edward was looking at me, his green eyes holding confusion.

"It was probably a good thing, too," Alice said.

"Why?" I asked, rubbing my eyes with my hands.

"Too many sad parts. We're going to have to keep sad movies away from you until – OW!"

I had to step on Alice's foot to keep her from saying what she was going to say; Edward was still in the room and I still wasn't ready to tell him yet. Edward looked at Alice funny.

"What were you going to say?" he asked.

Alice and I looked at him. "Uh, nothing, Edward," Alice said.

"I gotta get home. Say hi to Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie for me, okay?" I said, getting up. "Bye Alice. Bye Edward."

"We will. Bye!"

When I got home fifteen minutes later, I took the trac phone out of the bag and cut open the plastic surrounding the phone.

Sitting at the kitchen table, I took out the manual type thing and then phone and the charger thing. After adding in the minutes and doing everything you had to do for the phone to actually work, I got the phone number for the phone. The phone itself was really cute. It was a Verizon Wireless flip phone and it had a camera. I was really glad that a person didn't have to pay a phone bill for trac phones. It made life so much easier.

I dialed Alice's cell phone number.

"Hello?" came a voice that I recognized as Alice's.

"Hey!" I said.

"Did it work?" Alice asked, sounding excited.

"Yes! It works," I said, throwing the plastic covering away. After, I carried the little booklets and the charger upstairs to my room, where I laid on my back on my bed.

I was happy for the first time since I had found out I was pregnant.

Later, around the time Charlie was due home from work, I was sitting in the living room watching pointless television and doing the little vacation homework we had been given. Charlie had called, saying that he was bringing home a pizza for supper. I had then told him that I had gotten a trac phone and he wasn't too upset. I had decided to tell Charlie that I was pregnant, and by the time he got home, I could feel the nervousness rise up in me.

As soon as Charlie and I finished supper, I said, "Dad, can you sit there for a few minutes? I need to talk to you about something. Something important."

Charlie, who was starting to get up, sat back in his chair and looked at me with a worried expression on his face, and said, "What is it?"

I swallowed nervously and picked our plates up off the table. Next, I placed the pizza box in the trash and sat back down at the table, feeling nervous. I recall that I had been hoping that I wouldn't throw up my dinner all over the table as I told him my story.

"Dad. You know how sudden and abrupt my decision to come to Forks was?"

Charlie nodded slowly.

"Okay, I need you to not say anything until I am done talking, because I'm nervous enough as it is. Can you do that?" I asked.

"Bella, what is it that you want to tell me? I promise I won't speak until you're done talking."

"Thanks. Okay. Well, that decision was because something happened in Phoenix that made me want to leave. A week and a half before I arrived here, I was walking to my car from where I worked, someone grabbed me from behind. I was walking down an alley next to this old abandoned building, and he pulled me in there, and he… raped me."

I could see a vein in Charlie's temple grow more visible as I said those words. But I wasn't done talking yet. "Dad, I'm not done." I could feel my stomach twisting into knots. "Dad, I'm pregnant."

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Author's Note: So? Am I evil or what? I was going to write Charlie's reaction, but you'll have to wait till next chapter to see his reaction. I still haven't figured out Edward's reaction, but I am pretty sure it's going to be really fun to write! I can't wait!

Next chapter: Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie appear! Next chapter will be interesting I hope, and maybe a little longer than the previous ones.

Well, _Caio_ for now (That's Italian for 'Hello' and 'Bye')! Oh, and remember to review! NerdyGuRu2


	10. Telling Renee

Disclaimer:I don't own Twilight.

Author's Note: I want to thank everyone for the reviews! The story now has 40 reviews so far! Enjoy the next chapter!

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Chapter Nine: Telling Renee

"WHAT?!" Charlie yelled.

"Dad! Calm down," I said. I could tell Charlie was fuming, you could practically see steam coming out of Charlie's ears.

"How could you get pregnant young lady? You're not even out of high school yet! You're not going to be able to take care of a baby and finish high school at the same time! You are so grounded, young lady. Grounded until two months after you finish high school!" Charlie yelled. He took a deep breath before continuing. "You are going to get an abortion, young lady, and you're going to finish school and go to college, get married when you're thirty and then think about having children! Either that or give the baby up for adoption."

"Dad, stop yelling!" I said. I could feel tears come to my eyes.

It was silent for two seconds before Charlie began his rant again. "What were you thinking when you got yourself pregnant? You are too young to be having a baby, Isabella Marie Swan!"

"Dad! If you will just listen again. I had no choice when I found out I was pregnant. Married or not, boyfriend-less or not, I am going to have this baby. I was raped, dad. I didn't have a boyfriend in Arizona." I was surprised that my voice held authority and calmness. I was expecting to be screaming at Charlie. "If you want me to get an abortion, you may as well just kick me out of the house. I am giving birth to my child, whether you want to be a grandfather or not."

Charlie, who had begun pacing back and forth, stopped where he was and a silence rung through the house while he stared at me with a red face.

"Have you told your mother that you're pregnant?" he asked. His voice was calm now.

I shook my head.

"Does anyone know that you were… you know…?" he asked.

I nodded my head yes. "Alice, Carlisle, and Esme. They are the only three that know what happened and that I'm pregnant."

I looked into Charlie's eyes, and I was surprised to see tears glistening in his eyes. All of a sudden, he walked across the kitchen and pulled me up from my chair, engulfing me in a hug. I awkwardly wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Bells, for yelling at you. It wasn't your fault. I should have been calmer with you," Charlie whispered into my ear. I could hear the sadness in his voice and I felt my throat close up with sadness and sympathy for Charlie.

A couple moments later, Charlie was once again sitting at the table and I was heating water in a kettle for some hot chocolate. He was staring at the table top blankly, as if something was going through his mind. When I set the mug of hot cocoa in front of him, he looked up at me and smiled slightly, nodding his head as a thank you.

I sat down across from him with my own mug of hot chocolate.

"Do you mind me asking you if you remember what the guy looked like? I can have the police station send out a report to the Arizona police stations," Charlie said after a couple more minutes of silence.

I looked up at him. "I can try."

"Would you? Then we could try to find the guy who did this," Charlie said.

I nodded slowly. I went to my school bag which was in the living room and came back into the kitchen with a pencil and a pad of drawing paper. I sat back down at the kitchen table and began drawing the man who had done this to me. For fifteen minutes, Charlie sat there patiently, drinking his hot chocolate and waiting for me to be done. I drew the man's facial features and the length of his hair. The more I got into drawing the guy, the more I remembered what the guy looked like.

When I finished, I silently handed the paper to Charlie.

"You're a really good artist, Bells," he said, and I knew that he was trying to make me smile.

It didn't work. I only nodded and said, "I'll be in my room if you need me."

Charlie nodded. "Alright."

As I reached the doorway, I turned around and said, "Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't know that this would happen."

"It's alright, Bella," Charlie said. "I love you, Bells, no matter what happens to you."

My eyes welled up with tears as I whispered back, "I love you to, dad."

When I was upstairs in my room, I laid on my back on my bed, pulling my phone out from my pocket. I dialed Alice's cell phone number, tears running down my face slowly. Halfway through dialing it, I flipped the phone shut, telling myself that I would call her in the morning. Right then, I was beginning to feel really tired from the events of the evening.

I managed to pull myself up off my bed and grab my pajamas from the floor. I made my way to the bathroom, thinking that a shower would help me relax. As I stepped into the shower, I could feel unbidden tears come to my eyes. I sank down the shower wall and buried my head in my arms, legs up to my chest. Feeling the water from the shower trickle down my body, I let the tears flow down my cheeks, mixed in with the water.

It was more than twenty minutes later when I dried myself off and put on my pajamas. When I looked in the mirror, my eyes were red from crying.

Walking back to my room, I ran a comb through my hair.

I lay on my bed on my back and stared at my ceiling blankly. After a few minutes of lying there, I grabbed a piece of paper that was lying on my desk and a pen. I wrote down the names of all the people that I knew. After, I crossed off Charlie, Alice, Esme, and Carlisle. That only left six people left to tell that I was having a baby. And one of them was Edward.

I had to admit that I was beginning to have feelings for him, but I couldn't let it on that I did have feelings for him, because that would lead to potential trouble in the future, involving my unborn child.

My unborn child. My hand subconsciously moved to my stomach, and I found myself rubbing my stomach up and down with my hand slowly and gently, as if my hand would crush my stomach. My child. There was actually a human being growing inside of me right at that moment, and I knew that in less than nine months, I was going to have a child in my arms.

Just then, I heard the sound of music, and it scared me half to death. It took me a second to realize that it was only my phone, which was on my dresser. I forced myself to get up, as I was beginning to get tired again. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Alice calling.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi, Bella!" came Alice's chipper voice. Why in the world was she so chipper?

Then again, I was feeling happy as well. "Hi, Alice. What's up? You sound really chipper."

"The reason why I'm so happy is because Jasper is coming home tonight, and he should be here soon. I'm really bored, and I'm passing the time by looking at the clock in the kitchen, counting down the minutes till he gets here, and that didn't exactly work. So I decided to call you to pass the time, figuring that it would be a better way to pass the time."

Alice said this all in one breath I was afraid that she was going to pass out or something. "Okay," I said.

"You, on the other hand sound really tired and you sound like you have a head cold," Alice said. "What's wrong?"

"I told Charlie I'm pregnant, Alice," I said. "And that I was… you know."

"You did? How did he take it?" Alice asked.

"You know, I have never seen Charlie that angry before. I swear, I could see a vein becoming visible on his forehead. And, I have never heard Charlie yell that much in my entire life," I said, going back to my bed and laying down.

"He didn't take it that well, did he?" Alice asked.

"No. But he calmed down after a few minutes of yelling and pacing," I said.

"So what did he do after he calmed down?" asked Alice.

I took a deep breath and said, "He asked me if I could tell him what the guy looked like. I drew him from what I could remember onto a piece of paper and gave it to Charlie. He told me that he would fax it over to the Phoenix police stations in the morning."

"Were you scared the night it happened?" Alice asked out of curiosity.

"In a city that size? Yes, Alice. I was scared out of my wits. It's not something that you get over," I said quietly.

I could feel my eyes starting to get heavier and I looked at the clock. A little after eight o' clock. "I still have to call Renee. Any bets that I'll make it out alive?"

Alice laughed. "You owe me ten bucks if you make it out alive, and I'll give you ten bucks if you don't make it out alive. And five bucks goes to me if you tell Edward that you're pregnant before the end of February vacation."

I groaned. "Great. Okay, you're on. I have a feeling that you're going to make a lot of money by the time the week is over."

Again, Alice laughed."Okay. I'll let you go. You sound like you're about to fall asleep at any moment. I have to go anyways. I heard a car door slam outside."

"Okay. Say hi to the guys for me," I said, feeling my eyelids get heavier and heavier. My voice sounded slow and tired.

"I will. Good-night, Bella," Alice said.

"Bye."

After we hung up, I turned over on my side, I could feel my eyes closing and closing…

I woke up several hours later, feeling more refreshed. I looked at the clock and saw that it read 6:30 a.m. As I sat up, I felt nausea sweep over me just as it had did the morning before. I rolled off the bed – I had fallen asleep without the covers over me – and ran to the bathroom down the hall. I managed to get to the toilet in time before my stomach erupted.

For the next twenty minutes I stayed like that.

When I was done, I splashed water onto my face. I brushed my teeth, getting rid of the awful taste that was beginning to set in my mouth. Morning sickness sucked, I had to tell you. It was probably the worst thing about pregnancy, as my mother had always told me.

Renee. The thought of telling her made my stomach churn again. I turned for the toilet bowl yet again.

A few minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom. My stomach felt weak as I walked to my room to get clean clothes.

After I had changed into a pair of clean jeans and a long sleeved shirt, I headed downstairs. Charlie had already left for work, as his cruiser wasn't there when I looked out the window. Walking into the kitchen, I looked around, trying to find something I could eat that would be nice against my weak stomach.

I glanced at the clock. A little after 7:00. Finding a banana, I wandered into the living room and turned the T.V. on. A few days after I had arrived, Alice had showed up with some movies that she had bought, so that I could watch movies whenever Charlie wasn't home. I had thanked her then, but I had to remind myself to thank her again the next time I saw her. So I put a movie on and settled back into the couch eating the banana. I had to say that I never had really liked bananas, but now, I was craving them like there was going to be no tomorrow.

Halfway through the movie, a happy part unfortunately came up and tears were pouring out of my eyes. _This is really pathetic_, I thought as the main character in the movie ran up to the girl he was in love with and they kissed. For some reason, I thought that it was really sad, because in the end, they'd get into a fight and then make up. It was always the plot line.

The house phone rang just then. Pausing the movie, I got up from the couch and went into the kitchen to answer it. "Hello?" I tried to make my voice sound normal.

"Good morning, Bella!" came the voice of a more than usual chipper Alice.

"Hi, Alice," I said, going back to the living room and sitting down on the couch. My voice still sounded like I had been crying.

"Are you still crying, Bella? That is a really long time to be crying. What did Charlie say last night?" Alice asked.

"Just so you know, Alice, I am glaring at you. I was watching a movie and it happens to be extremely sad!" I said into the phone.

I heard Alice laugh. "You know, you are really going to have to stay away from the romance movies, Bella. They take effect on a – person who cries at romance movies."

"What?" I asked.

"Jasper's in the kitchen with me. We're cooking breakfast for the family," Alice said.

"Cool," was all I said, because I didn't think that I could manage many more words; I was beginning to feel the toll my banana had on me. "Listen, Alice. I'll call you later, I have to go. Bye!" I pushed the off button on the phone before Alice had the chance to say anything and dashed up the stairs to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, I emerged again, my stomach feeling weak once again.

I walked slowly back downstairs to the living room and lay down on the couch, pushing "play" on the remote control and closing my eyes. I found my eyes getting heavier and heavier, and then I found myself falling asleep, and letting darkness close in around me.

I woke to the sound of the phone ringing. It took me a few minutes to realize that the phone, which sounded so loud, was ringing about a foot from my head. Picking it up from the coffee table, I turned it on and sleepily said, "Hello?"

"Hello, Bella dear!" It was my mother, Renee. Great.

"Hey, mom," I said. I yawned into my hand and said, "What's up?"

"You sound tired, Bella, are you alright?" Renee asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. How are you?" I mentally kicked myself for saying that. It was now or never that I had to tell her. If I came out of this alive, I would have to fork up ten dollars to give Alice.

"I'm fine. How are you? Weather treating you okay?"

"Um, yeah. Listen, mom, I have something to tell you. It's going to come as a bit of a shock," I said, mentally praying that she wouldn't take this too badly. "You have to promise that you won't speak until I say that you can speak."

"Alright. What is it, honey, is something wrong with Charlie?" Renee sounded worried.

"Thanks. Okay. Well, you know how the decision of me coming here was abrupt? That decision was because something happened in Phoenix that made me want to leave. A week and a half before I arrived here, I was walking to my car from after work, and someone grabbed me from behind. I was walking down an alley next to this old abandoned building, and he pulled me in there, and he… raped me."

There was silence on the other line, and I knew that Renee, though she was keeping her promise, was having trouble keeping it. I couldn't blame her. "Mom, I'm pregnant."

"WHAT!"

Exactly the reaction I was expecting. To spare you the mental images of what came next, I'll just tell you that she said _almost_ exactly the same thing Charlie said. It was along the same lines, you're too young, you're not capable of having a child, you're only eighteen, you need to go to college and finish high school, the whole shebang. I sat there on the couch listening to her yell at me.

Finally, I couldn't take it any longer. "Mom! Stop. I've already went through this with Charlie and I don't want to do it again."

Renee stopped yelling.

"I'm having this baby, with or without your support. I am not going to give this baby up for adoption, nor am I going to have an abortion. You've always taught that abortions were wrong, and I fully agreed with you. Why give up a small child when you could raise it? Boyfriend-less or not, married or not, I am going to have my child." I was surprised that my voice once again held authority, and I was talking to my mother, who was slightly eccentric at times. "I had no choice when I found out I was pregnant. I have to tell you, I was scared out of my wits. You're going to be a grandmother, whether you like it or not."

There was silence on the phone for a moment after I stopped talking. Tears were once again flowing silently down my cheeks, and I heard muffled crying on the other end. My mother was crying as well.

After a couple moments, Renee spoke again. "Bella, honey. I'm so sorry for what happened to you. And I'm sorry for what I said to you. I know that you would fit a child into your life."

"I know, mom. But I am going to do this," I said.

"I know you are." Silence was once again reigning the air, and after another few seconds of silence, Renee said, "So, do you know how far along you are?"

I answered, "A little over a month along, probably about five and a half weeks."

To my surprise, Renee said, "I want to try to help in any way that I can. Will you let me know if you need anything?"

"Of course I will. I just want to know if you'll still be there for me," I said.

"I will. I have to go. I'll call later once Charlie gets home from the station."

"Alright. Oh, and mom, before you go, here's my cell phone number. " I gave her the number, and before she hung up, Renee said, "Congratulations, honey. I'm sure that you'll do fine."

"Thanks, mom."

After we hung up, I sat back into the cushions, rubbing my stomach once again with my hand. I hit the rewind button on the remote. I was beginning to feel love for my child, who was only a few weeks old.

I had a feeling that, with whatever happened in the months to come, everything would turn out alright. I knew it would. For now, I was just going to sit back and relax, and hopefully not cry at the most sappiest movie ever made. In the meantime, I had to fork up ten bucks for Alice. Oh, great.

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Author's Note: So, I hope everyone liked that chapter. I know that Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie didn't appear in this chapter. Sorry about that. I decided that I would just make this chapter to be Charlie's reaction and Bella telling Renee and her reaction.

The next chapter _will_ have Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie in it. I have an idea for the next chapter, and I can't wait to do it. The chapter may be as long as this one, but I'm not entirely sure. I will give you no spoilers for next chapter, because I don't know how the chapter will turn out. I'll leave the Author's Note right here, as I have to go do homework, so I'll post this right now. Remember to review! NerdyGuRu2


	11. The Phone Call

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter Ten: The Phone Call

Over the next two days, I spent my time doing homework and talking on the phone with Alice; I figured that I would let the Cullen's reunite with Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie. I still hadn't managed to talk to Edward, and by the time Wednesday came, I knew that if I didn't tell him soon, I would chicken out, and he would probably end up watching my stomach grow bigger and bigger and still not know that I was pregnant; he would probably think that I was putting on a lot of weight, which I still had yet to do.

The night I told Renee, Charlie came home from the station saying that he had faxed the picture over to all the police stations and that they would begin searching for the guy. When he told me that, I only nodded my head blindly.

Ever since the night I had told Charlie the news that I was pregnant, Charlie had been trying harder to make conversation with me. We had never really been great talkers and we had both been okay with it. Things were bound to be a little awkward for a few weeks. He had finally managed to tell me congratulations, which brought tears to my eyes as I hugged him and told him thank you.

Wednesday afternoon, I was sitting on the couch finishing up the little homework I had left. I had been staring out the window for a couple minutes and it had taken me a while to realize that it was snowing. Snowing! Forks, Washington, probably the rainiest little town in the whole of United States, was having snow fall down, instead of rain!

I got up from the couch, putting my textbook beside me on the couch. I went to the living room window and sure enough, it was snowing! And really hard, too.

I heard my phone ring from the coffee table and I went to pick it up. "Hello?"

"It's snowing!"

"Hi, Alice," I said, going back to the window. "Yes, it is snowing. I just noticed it like one minute ago. And I've been staring out the window for the past five minutes."

"Isn't it exciting? If it keeps snowing like this, we'll be able to have a massive snowball fight!" Alice's voice was filled with excitement and I could tell from the shrill sound of her voice.

"Snowball fight?" I asked. My voice sounded hesitant and nervous from the prospect of having a snowball fight. I could land flat on my face with the amount of klutzness in me. I wasn't sure klutzness was actually a word, but who cared? It had the word klutz in it.

"Yes! First snowball fight in three years!" Alice squealed.

"It snowed here three years ago?" I asked, going back to the couch.

"Yes, and it was the most awesome fun we'd had with snow in a long time!" Alice said. "Think about it! Jasper, Emmett, and Edward on one team, and then Rose, you, and I on the other team. Maybe we'll manage to convince Carlisle and Esme to join us!"

I laughed sarcastically. "Yeah right, Alice. Can you see me being in a snowball fight? That would spell catastrophe. Maybe I'll just watch you guys play."

"Why? Us girls would be outnumbered by the boys," Alice said. "We were last time."

"Sorry, Alice. I think I'll just stay home."

"Why?" Alice asked.

"All the running and stuff. Who knows, I might fall flat on my face," I said.

I heard Alice laugh. "You won't fall flat on your face. Well, then again, maybe you might. No one ever knows with you when it comes to sports. Oh, I know. You could be the referee."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay. That sounds a lot safer."

"Any other reason why you don't want to join in the snowball fight?"

"Alice, you don't know if we're actually going to have a snowball fight, because chances are that the snow won't even last the afternoon. It'll probably get washed away by the rain, anyways. Have you or have you not figured out after all the years of living here that this is the rainiest place on the earth?" I asked, feeling a little annoyed about a potential non-existent snowball fight.

Alice giggled. "Yes, I've figured it out. But I think that you should join in the fun. I don't think it will endanger your b – EMMETT!"

I held the phone away from my ear. "Alice?"

In the background I could hear a booming laugh that I recognized as Emmett's laugh. Next, I heard Alice say, "Emmett, out!"

"Okay, little sis," I heard Emmett's voice say.

Then I heard a door shut and Alice breathe a sigh of relief. "Sorry. That was Emmett being just Emmett. I gotta go. I bet you five bucks it snows through the night."

"Alright. Five bucks to me if it doesn't snow through the night and it's gone in the morning," I said. "Bye."

"Bye!"

I snapped the phone shut and turned back to my homework. I managed to finish the rest of my homework by the time Charlie came home.

I was in the kitchen after supper, at about 7:00, making myself some caffeine free tea, when the phone rang. I picked it up from where it was laying on the counter and said, "Hello?"

"Is this the Swan residence?" asked a deep male voice that had a Mexican accent to it.

"Yes, may I ask who is calling?" I asked politely.

"This is Chief Lonzorio Galliano calling from the Phoenix, Arizona Police Department. Is Chief Swan available?"

"Yes, hold on a moment," I said. I walked into the living room and handed the phone to Charlie, saying, "It's for you. Someone from the police department in Phoenix." I walked back to the kitchen to finish making my tea. I kept my ears strained to catch any of the conversation between Charlie and whoever was on the other end of the phone. But I managed to only catch the word "found".

Fifteen minutes later, Charlie walked into the kitchen. I had given up trying to eavesdrop and was now sitting at the table, reading my copy of _Wuthering Heights_, and drinking my tea. I had never liked tea, but it always helped my stomach.

I noted that Charlie had an expression on his face that I couldn't quite make out. "What did the guy want, dad?"

Charlie sat down at the table across from me, and I could tell from the expression on his face that if he drank, he would be taking swigs from a bottle of whiskey. "They found him."

I felt my stomach churn slightly. "When did they find him?" I asked quietly.

"Yesterday. They found him trying to do it to another girl. They arrested him and brought him in. He matched the description you drew. They're going to put him on trial in a couple months. His fate will be decided there. They're going to be doing it here, so you can testify your side of the story," Charlie said.

I was looking at the table top when Charlie was speaking, and my head snapped up at the word 'testify'. "Testify?"

"Yes. Testify."

I could only nod quietly.

"I swear, if I'm allowed to get my hands on whoever did this to you, I swear they will pay," Charlie suddenly said. He slammed his fist down on the table at his last words, making me jump.

I got up from the table, grabbing my book and mug of tea. I left the kitchen and walked up to my bedroom, so Charlie wouldn't see the tears that were building up in my eyes.

After setting the mug of tea on my bedside table, I sat on my bed against my pillow, knees up to my chest. I let the tears flow down my face in quiet sobs, my shoulders shaking from the crying. I cried for the safety of my unborn child. I cried for Charlie, and my mom and Phil. I don't know why I cried for the Cullen family, but I cried for them. They had found the guy who had gotten me pregnant, and he was supposedly going to jail, to be kept away from me and my baby. My baby. Not his.

After crying for an hour, I finally found myself to manage to change into some pajamas. After doing so, I crawled back into bed and laid there until I fell asleep.

The next morning, after my daily trip to the bathroom, I looked out my bedroom window and realized I would have to pay Alice five bucks, along with the ten bucks I owed her from coming out alive telling Renee.

I went back to the bathroom and took a shower. When I looked in the bathroom mirror, I saw that I had red rims around my eyes from crying for an hour. I got dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

When I looked out the window, Charlie's cruiser was still in the driveway, so I guessed that he had the day of or something, as there was about a foot of snow on the ground. I looked at the clock on the stove and saw that it was almost ten o' clock. My stomach grumbled slightly and I cooked a couple pieced of bread and sat down at the kitchen table with them.

As I was eating my breakfast, Charlie came downstairs, tying his tie around the collar of the shirt. "Good morning, Bells," he said as he came into the kitchen.

"Morning, dad."

As usual, we ate in silence. Charlie left for work after he finished eating. I had offered to shovel the driveway, but he said that he wasn't going to allow me to shovel any driveway until the baby was born. I thought that that was really sweet.

A few minutes after Charlie left, I was on my way back to my bedroom when I heard my phone sing out the ring tone it was set to for calls from Alice's cell phone and the Cullen's home phone. I picked it up from my dresser, and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Alice. You owe me five bucks."

"Good morning to you, too. Yes, I see that you were right," I said.

I could hear a smile on her face as she said, "Get on over here, missy. We're planning a snowball fight at noon sharp. So you'd better be here by then. Jasper, Emmett, and even Rosalie are dying to see you. Oh, and it kind of slipped out."

It took my mind a few seconds to register what Alice had just said. When it did, I said, "What?! How did it just slip out?" Well, I actually said it partially yelling, but still. I was surprised that Alice had actually let that secret slip!

"It was by accident! I'm really sorry! But I'm really excited about this!" Alice said.

I sighed. "It's okay, Alice. But please tell me that Edward didn't hear."

"It was this morning. He was in the shower when it accidently slipped. We were all eating breakfast, and it kind of slipped. I'm really sorry. I told them not to tell Edward, or they would get it so bad during the fight," said Alice.

"Okay. Thank you, Alice. I'll be over soon. Bye."

"Bye."

I snapped my phone shut and slapped my hand to my forehead and went to get my boots and coat.

Thirty minutes later, I parked my truck at the side of the driveway. I walked up to the front door and knocked. The door opened almost immediately, and I was pulled into the house by the pixie arms of Alice. "Whoa, slow down, Alice. You're going to make me lose my breakfast," I said.

"Oh, sorry," Alice giggled. She pulled me into the kitchen, where my nose caught the whiff of something cooking in the oven. I felt the nausea sweep over me and I struggled to not vomit all over Alice.

I had to force a grimace into a smile as Esme came forward to hug me.

"Hello, Bella dear," she said as she wrapped her arms around me. When she pulled away from me, I could tell the she had caught the look on my face, which I assumed was pale, as she said, "Are you alright, Bella? You look a little pale."

I could only nod. I managed to say, "May I use your bathroom?"

Esme nodded, and gestured toward the door.

I turned to go out of the kitchen and stumbled to the nearest bathroom. I managed to lock the bathroom door before I fell to my knees in front of the toilet.

A few minutes later, I heard a soft knocking on the bathroom door. "Bella? Are you alright?"

"Hmhm," I managed to mumble out.

I managed to stand up and be stable and I walked over to the sink. After I washed my face, I saw a tube of toothpaste so I squeezed some onto my finger. I brushed my teeth hurriedly with my finger and opened the bathroom door. Esme was standing outside, a look of worry on her face. I felt a massive blush creep up into my cheeks. "Sorry about that."

"That's completely alright," Esme said. "Morning sickness?"

I merely nodded, and Esme said with a knowing smile on her face, "Ah."

As we walked back into the kitchen, Alice was taking something out of the oven. I could distinctly smell oats and the sweet smell of honey. She turned around as we entered the kitchen. "Hey, Bella. Alright now?"

"I guess," I said, sitting down on one of the stools at the Island. It was then that I noticed the house was nice and quiet. "Where is everyone?"

Alice grinned. "Everybody went out back about ten minutes ago to scout out the boundaries for the snowball fight. Rosalie's up in her room, finding something to wear for the fight."

"Oh. So, Alice, about the little secret that slipped out at breakfast this morning?" I asked. I would have glared at her, but I wasn't feeling that up to it.

Alice smiled at me a little innocently. Too innocently in fact. "I said I was sorry. But at least you have three less people to worry about telling."

I looked at her. "They don't know what happened do they?"

Alice shook her head no.

That reminded me. I got the fifteen dollars that I had stuffed into my jeans pocket earlier and gave held it out to Alice. "Here's your fifteen dollars."

Alice looked triumphant as she took the money from my hand.

"Alice, I thought I told you years ago that you shouldn't do bets. Especially with pregnant woman, because you always win," Esme said, looking at Alice with a stern look.

Alice smiled at her mother innocently. "Sorry, mother."

Just then, the front door slammed and four men came into the kitchen, blowing on their bare hands. All of a sudden, I was blocked from all light as I was engulfed in a big hug.

"Bella!"

It was Emmett that had his arms around me.

"Emmett! Let the poor girl breath a little," said a voice. I barely recognized it, but I made it out as Jasper's voice.

"Emmett, I can't breathe," I said, and my voice came out all muffled.

I was able to see the light a second later as Emmett let me go. He was grinning broadly at me. "Hi Emmett, Jasper. Hi, Carlisle, Edward."

"Hey, Bella," Jasper and Carlisle said at the same time. Edward stood there, smiling like he had just seen someone he really liked. When I looked at him, I could feel a blush creeping up into my cheeks. Jasper came over and gave me an awkward, one armed hug.

Rosalie came down a few minutes later, when everybody was eating a piece of bread. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she looked as beautiful as ever. "Hey, Bella," she said as she entered the kitchen.

"Hi, Rosalie."

For the next fifteen minutes, we sat – or stood – in the kitchen eating the bread that Esme had been baking. The bread was nice and easy on my stomach, and it tasted really good, with the oats and the honey mixed in.

All the time that we sat there, I could feel Edward's eyes on me. I knew that he knew something was different about me. There was something different about me. I was going to be a mother soon. But I knew that I couldn't put it off not telling him for much longer. He knew something was up and that I was hiding something from him. I had to tell him, and soon. I couldn't put it off for much longer.

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Author's Note: I hope you all liked this chapter. I can't tell if it's shorter than the last chapter. Sorry about the brief appearance of Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie. I needed to end the chapter. If I added in the snowball fight, this chapter would have been really long. I decided that I would end the chapter on a good note, instead of on a bad note, like a really good cliff hanger. I'm not _that_ evil.

I noticed that in the prologue, Bella said that she had taken two weeks before she got up enough nerves to tell Charlie, and I realized that in Chapter Eight, I made Bella tell Charlie, and that was only a few days after she found out she was pregnant. Sorry about that. Next Chapter: Snowball Fight. All I will say. Remember to Review! I'm going to post this chapter and then possibly start on the next chapter. Hasta Lavista! Adios! NerdyGuRu2


	12. Shattering Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter Eleven: Shattering Hearts

The boundaries for the fight were marked with wooden stakes that had been driven into the ground. We had all agreed that I should be the commentator/ referee for the fight. I mentally agreed with them; I didn't want to endanger my baby by falling flat on the ground. And besides, my stomach was still a little on the weak side. I didn't want to push it any further past the limits. Now how in the world was I supposed to make

The fight started and the Cullen's positioned themselves inside the boundaries. Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle were on one side, while Rosalie, Alice, and Esme were on the other side.

"Alright, Bella. Shout go whenever you think is a good time," Carlisle called over to me.

"Alight," I called back, feeling absolutely ridiculous. "Ready… set…" – the two opposing sides picked up a handful of snow – "…GO!"

And then all pandemonium broke loose. Everybody started throwing snowballs at each other. It was quite interesting to see Carlisle, the good doctor who was calm and collected, be so wild with excitement and joyfulness. And Esme, who was always the motherly figure, be excited and joyful as well. The others were just the same. Just as they had been when I had left almost nine years ago.

Emmett through a snowball straight at Alice's face, and she received it with a smack. She glared at him and made an even bigger snowball, adding some ice in the middle. She ran after him with an evil look on her face, and Emmett started to run away with a look of terror on his face.

"Alice is throwing a snowball at Emmett, and it looks like Emmett is running away in terror," I called out, feeling absolutely foolish about commentating a snowball fight. The next one that we were able to have, I was going to make Alice commentate with me. Either that, or I would join them.

Alice reached within a foot of Emmett; Emmett tripped just then, and Alice was able to put the snowball down Emmett's shirt. She ran away before Emmett could react and jump up screaming from the cold. Grabbing another snowball, she hurled it straight at Jasper. Jasper received it on his shoulder, and he started to charge after her with a grin on his face.

"Now Jasper is after Ali-" I was cut off by a snowball hitting the side of my face. I turned to look and saw Edward standing there with a crooked smile on his face that I loved. Before I could be dazzled, and without thinking, I bolted from my chair that I was sitting on and grabbed a snowball. Realizing that he was now a target, he ran away. I ran after him, and threw the snowball at him. I was glad that my stomach was feeling better with each passing moment, and now, I could probably join in the game.

The snowball smacked Edward in the back of the head. He turned around. A mischievous grin was spread across his face. And then cold, wet snow was in my face.

"You are so dead, Edward!" I cried and Edward laughed, running in the opposite way from me.

I felt a hand grab my arm and I turned around, expecting it to be Carlisle ordering me back to my seat, but instead, it was Alice.

"Joining in the fun, Bella? Because you were missing a great deal of fun!" she said. Her eyes were full of excitement.

"I guess," I said.

Before Alice could respond, we both got whacked in the side of the face with snowballs. We turned to the direction of our attacker. It was Jasper and Edward. They both had evil looking grins on their faces, and they were laughing hysterically.

Alice and I looked at each other, and we both had grins on our faces, though Alice's was much more evil looking than mine. "Want to do some revenge?" Alice asked, mischief in her eyes and an excited grin on her face.

I nodded excitedly.

We both started to make snowballs with rapidity, and by the time two minutes were up, we had both made five snowballs. We stood up and looked around for Jasper and Edward. They were running to the other end of the boundary.

"You can't get away from us, boys!" Alice shouted, and we heard them laugh.

We started running to the place where Jasper and Edward stood. On the way there, we passed Carlisle, who was proceeding to throw snowballs at Esme, who was shrieking with laughter. Rosalie was hurling snowballs at Emmett who was trying to throw even more snowballs at her, but to no avail. All of them were roaring with laughter. Well, in Rosalie's case, shrieking with terror.

Alice and I began throwing snowballs at Edward and Jasper. They cowered from the cold, their cheeks red from the cold and from laughing.

Each snowball hit their faces, and by the time we were done throwing our snowballs, Alice and I were almost on the ground laughing. I had to stop laughing, as my stomach was trying to decide whether or not to be nauseous again.

The snowball fight continued from there. Carlisle and Esme threw snowballs at each other. Emmett threw snowballs at Rosalie to keep from her throwing snowballs at him, while Rosalie was doing the same thing, but was succeeding at the task more than Emmett was. Alice and I teamed up against Jasper and Edward, and we managed to do the same thing that Emmett and Rosalie were doing.

An hour after the snowball fight began, Esme, Rosalie, Alice, and I resigned and headed inside to make hot chocolate for everyone. It was now one person teams: Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle. May God be with them all; they all threw snowballs really hard. It was up to them to battle it out and see who was the snowball throwing champion.

Once we got inside, we took off our boots and coats and headed into the kitchen.

Alice and I sat down at the Island, all teetered out.

"Man, those boys throw wicked hard," Alice said, shaking her spiky black hair. Water sprayed everywhere.

"Hey!" I said, leaning away.

"So, Bella," Rosalie said, sitting down at the Island. "You're really pregnant?"

I looked at Rosalie, a blush coming to my face. Why did I always have to blush? "Yes."

"Cool," Rosalie said. "Congratulations." I could tell that she really meant it.

"Thanks," I said sheepishly, looking down at my arms which were folded on the Island top.

As Alice and Rosalie began talking about who they thought would win the snowball fight outside, I went over to Esme to see if I could do anything to help with the hot chocolate. She told me that I could get the mugs from the cupboard. I grabbed seven mugs from the cupboard and set them down on the counter next to the stove.

The boys came back in fifteen minutes later, claiming that they were freezing. They were all dripping with melted snow, and Esme ordered them to go change before coming back downstairs to have hot chocolate. They reluctantly followed her orders and trudged upstairs to change.

By the time they came back downstairs five minutes later, Esme, Alice, and Rosalie were drinking mugs of hot chocolate; I had backed out from drinking the hot chocolate. We were in the living room setting up a game of LIFE.

"Hey, starting the game without us? How could you?" asked Emmett good-naturedly, walking into the living room.

"Well, we were going to wait, but you were gone too long," Rosalie said.

"Are you going to let us join?" Jasper asked.

"Of course, you silly. What did you think we were going to do? Have you watch us?" Alice asked, pulling Jasper down next to her.

As Edward sat down next to me, I felt my cheeks flame. Emmett sat down next to Rosalie, who was next to Esme, who was next to Carlisle. We managed to sit around the game board and sit comfortably.

We all claimed a car and put our little pin people in the cars. And then the game began.

An hour later, my back started to hurt from sitting on hard ground of the living room for so long. Finally, I knew that it was time I was getting home, as it was three in the afternoon. Though it was amusing – and entertaining – playing LIFE with the Cullen's, I could feel my body in desperate need of a nap.

"Alright, I forfeit. I'm out. I'm generously donating my money to the bank," I said, scooping up my paper money and handing it to Carlisle, who was playing banker.

"Oh, come on. Don't you want to play with us anymore?" Emmett asked.

"Well, I need to be heading home. Charlie's going to be home for work soon, and I said I would make dinner," I said, pulling the pin people from my car. I had managed to get married and get one "kid."

"Glad you could come, Bella," Esme said, smiling at me with a knowing smile.

I smiled back at her as I stood up. "Bye, guys."

"Bye, Bella!" called everyone.

The next day, late Friday afternoon, I was lying on the couch reading _Wuthering Heights_, when there was a knock on the door.

Groaning silently, I got myself up off the couch and I walked to the door, expecting Alice to be standing there with a proposition of another shopping trip. Opening the door, I was surprised to see Edward standing there. He smiled his crooked smile when I opened the door.

"Hey, Bella," he said.

"Hi, Edward, what are you doing here?" I asked curiously, tilting my head to the side slightly.

"I was wondering if I could ask you a question. May I?" He looked nervous about something, and for a moment, I thought he had figured it out. Oh, great, if he had figured it out, what was I going to do? I felt my cheeks flame up again, and I held the door open and stood aside to let him in.

He came through the door. We stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before I walked toward the kitchen, calling behind me, "Do you want something to drink, Edward?"

"Uh, water?" he asked, following behind me.

I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and said, "So, what question do you have that brings you here in the late afternoon?" I filled the glass with water and handed it to Edward, who was sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. I sat down across from him, folding my arms on the table top.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go out with me this weekend?" he asked.

I sat there, too stunned to say anything. I looked down at my folded arms, my mouth open as if I was going to say something, which I was. But I couldn't find my voice to say anything. Edward had just asked me out! Edward Cullen, who was popular with all the girls at school and was inhumanly gorgeous, was asking me, Bella Swan, who was not at all popular and wasn't exactly pretty, out on a _date_! A date! I couldn't believe it. I was pregnant with another man's child, and he didn't even know!

"Edward," I began, but he cut me off.

"You don't have to answer me right away. But I like you and I think that it would be fun to date," Edward said.

My head snapped up. Fun to date? "Fun to date?" My voice came out slightly snappish, and I didn't mean to do that, but the pregnancy issue sort of controlled my emotions and the way I spoke to people quite often. "Edward… boys don't ask girls out just because they think that it would be fun to date."

Edward looked only a tiny bit shocked and surprised, but I could not detect any anger at all on his face. "That came out wrong. What I meant was that I want to go out with you. We could go see a movie or something and go to dinner."

I looked at him. "Edward, I don't think that it would be such a good idea if we… you know… dated," I said in a quiet voice. I could feel tears starting to well up unwillingly in my eyes. Darn those stupid hormones!

"Why?" he asked. Confusion was settling in his face at that moment, and I really wanted him to understand what was happening.

I looked down at my arms again and said, "I wish I could tell you, but I don't know how to tell you."

"Then just tell me straight out," he said. My eye caught with his and I could see in his eyes that he cared for me.

"Edward, I can't. It's not simple to just tell anyone. You don't know how hard it was telling anyone else," I said. I looked at him when I said this, and I made up my mind that I would at least try to tell him before he stepped out of the house.

Edward looked at me. "Why isn't it simple? Is it something that I did that your dad didn't approve of? Do you not like me or something?"

I had gotten up from my chair and was now leaning against the kitchen counter, facing Edward. When he said those words, I knew that hurt was flashing through my eyes. I cared for him, how dare he think that I didn't like him? I had liked him for years, ever since kindergarten. Had it really taken me this long to realize that I really did like him?

"Edward, don't think that. I like you. I really, really, and truly do. But I don't think that this whole...us dating thing would work. And I don't think I want something to happen," I said.

"Why wouldn't it work? Could you just tell me, please?" His voice was full of pleading and I knew that I couldn't keep him in the dark for too much longer.

"Listen, Edward. I can't date you." My voice was quiet and sounded like I was going to cry. "It probably won't work out, and I don't think that if we broke up or something happened, I don't think I would be able to show my face to your family. Especially since Alice is way too excited about…." I trailed off, catching myself in time.

"Excited about what?" Edward asked.

I looked at him. Would I be able to tell him without him freaking out?

I took a deep breath and sat back down at the table. "How would I be able to say this without you flipping out and disconnecting me from your life completely?" I asked.

"I don't know. Just tell me. I promise I won't freak out."

Yeah, right. I took a deep breath and motioned him to follow me. It was the only way I could think of telling him without him having a freak out session. I walked up to my bedroom, where I opened the door and walked in. Edward came in behind me, shutting the door behind him. I went to my dresser, where I pulled out from the top drawer a book that I had purchased a couple days ago. I handed it to him, not saying anything.

He took the book and read the title, his eyes growing wide with surprise. I had handed him a book about what to expect when you're pregnant. "You're pregnant?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper. I could hear shock and anger in his voice. I couldn't blame him. If I had found out that my best friend had gotten pregnant and had hid it from me, I would have been angry as well.

I nodded slowly, my eyes trained on my feet, which had suddenly become very interesting.

He growled and said, "That's why you don't want to go out with me? Because you're pregnant?" Anger was really evident in his voice now. I nodded once again. "Is it one of the boy's at school? Are you dating one of them and you're pregnant with their baby?"

I continued to look at my shoes. I didn't answer because I was thinking of a way to tell him that the baby wasn't one of the boy's at school. It was a guy's that had probably been out of high school for a very long time.

Edward took the silence for a 'yes'. Well guess what, Edward, it isn't. He growled in frustration and ran a hand through his auburn hair. I could tell that he wanted to swear really badly and really loudly, but he resisted the urge. He probably would on the way home, though.

I continued to stand there, not saying anything.

A couple minutes later, Edward finally broke the silence. His voice held a lot of anger, I could tell from the look of anger on his face. When he spoke, his was louder than necessary. "How could you do this, Bella? How could you come here to Forks and get pregnant? You know what, don't answer that. Have a nice life, Bella." With that, he stormed out of my bedroom. I heard him stomp down the stairs and I heard the front door bang loudly.

I just stood in the middle of my bedroom, shocked at Edward's outburst. After a few seconds, I fell to my knees and sat on my feet, shoulders shaking and tears pouring down my face.

I had just lost my life-long best friend. The best friend that I had immense feeling for, and now, he made my heart shatter into a million pieces.

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Author's Note: Isn't that sad? I tried to make it a happy ending chapter, but that would mean ending the chapter where Bella started to play LIFE with the Cullens. But, unfortunately, I knew that I coulnd't put off Edward finding out much longer.

I hope everybody enjoyed reading the chapter. I know I had fun writing it! I had never written a snowball fight scene before, and I asked my mom and dad both if they knew how to write a snowball fight scene. My mom was some help, but my dad didn't even help at all. Anyways, remember to review and remember to tell me what you thought of the chapter. Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2


	13. The Kiss

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter Twelve: The Kiss

"_Bella? Can I ask you something?" _

_I looked up from my book. It was a rainy day and I was out on the back porch at the Cullen's house with Alice and Rosalie, who were playing a board game. "Sure, Edward."_

_He sat down next to me and I noticed that he was looking a little nervous about something. Why would anyone be nervous about asking someone a question? Edward turned to me and Alice and Rosalie looked up from their board game to watch. I could tell that they knew something was going on. It was then that I realized that Edward had his favorite dress shirt over the T-shirt he had been wearing. _

_He took my hand and looked me straight in the eye. "Bella?"_

"_Yes, Edward?" I said. I was beginning to get confused. I could tell that Alice and Rosalie would burst out laughing at any moment, from the looks on their faces. _

"_Will you marry me?" Edward asked, a completely blank look on his face. His expression was so serious looking that I almost burst out laughing. He held out a ring that would fit my left ring finger._

_I stared at him in shock as Alice and Rosalie burst out laughing hysterically. I felt my jaw open slightly and my book that I had been holding in my free hand dropped to the floor of the porch. "Uh…" I didn't exactly know what to say to that. We were in elementary school. We weren't even in second grade yet, and he had asked me to marry him? Good grief. He was my best friend and weren't we a _little _too young to think about marriage?_

"_Bella?" he asked. _

_To my immense embarrassment, I felt tears come to my eyes. As they started to pour down my face, I said, "No!"_

_And to my immense surprise, Edward looked extremely relieved. "Oh, thank heavens." And then he started to giggle, which was an odd sight to see, considering that he was a boy, and boys usually didn't giggle._

_At this, Alice and Rosalie laughed even harder and even louder than before. _

_I glared at Edward with tears cascading down my cheeks. "That wasn't funny, Edward. I thought you were actually serious!" I considered hitting him on the head with my book, which was unfortunately a paperback book, but I resisted the urge, even though I wanted to really badly. _

_Edward put on a straight face and looked serious again, though it was so serious, I knew that it must have been fake. "I wasn't joking."_

_Alice and Rosalie stopped laughing hysterically and looked at Edward with shock. "You weren't joking?" asked Alice. "Jeez, Edward, I didn't know you had even half a digestive system to propose to a girl."_

_Meanwhile, I was sitting on the wicker couch that had a cushion on it, tears quietly and slowly rolling down my cheeks. No one had ever proposed to me before. Was he _actually _serious?"Still, it wasn't funny."_

"_Seriously, Bella. I was only slightly joking. Think of it as a promise to the future years. Maybe when we're in high school. Think of it as a promise from me to you that I'll always like you in the years to come," Edward said placing the ring in my hand._

_With that, I glared at him and walked back into the house with a huff, intending on finishing my reading inside on the couch._

I smiled sadly at the memory. It was late Sunday morning, two day after my blowout with Edward. I still couldn't believe that he had proposed to me in front of Alice and Rosalie, and then confessed that he liked me. But we were only in the first grade.

I remembered those words only now, as I sat on the little couch we had on our front porch, reading a book. I didn't realize until now how much those words meant to me during the years I had lived in Phoenix. I wished it wasn't too late to say to Edward that I really did like him, even when he "proposed" to me on that porch at the Cullen's house.

I felt a little guilty about not being able to tell him what had happened to me, but that was his fault. He didn't wait for an answer and he jumped to conclusions. Who knew what went on in his mind?

Because I didn't want to know if it was Edward on the phone, I ignored the ringing on my phone. I kept on assuming that it was Alice, calling to try to make me go over there and make up with him, so I didn't answer my phone. The phone rang every hour from Friday evening to Saturday night, when I finally turned the phone off. Let them hear the answering machine that I had on my phone, _Hey, you've reached Bella Swan. I'm not able to come to the phone right now, so please leave a message and your phone number and I'll get back to you as soon as possible._

I finally turned my phone on again on Sunday morning after breakfast. It wasn't until I had come out to the porch with my book after Charlie had left for work that I finally checked my messages. I had six voice mail messages.

The first one was from Alice. "Hey, it's Alice. Pick up. Please. I know you're mad at Edward, but –"

I snapped the phone shut. After a moment, I got up enough courage and dialed Alice's cell. It rang once, twice, and then another half a ring before a voice said, "Hello?"

I took a deep breath and said, "Hi, Alice. It's me."

"Hey, Bella. Do you know how worried we've all been since Edward came home Friday evening in a storm of fury?"

"No. What did you think happened to me?"

"Well, at first, we thought you had done something foolish and rash, but when Emmett tried calling last night and got the answering machine, we all knew that you weren't dead," Alice said.

"Oh, well, thanks, Alice for assuming that I was dead!" I said, hormones taking the better of me. I rubbed the top of my nose and said, "Sorry for snapping."

"It's okay. But with you being pregnant and everything, you can never tell."

I was silent for a moment before I said, "Is he still mad?"

"Well, we don't actually know. He's locked himself in his room for the whole weekend. He'd better unlock himself from his room before school tomorrow, because he sort of needs to go… yes, he's still mad. You can practically see the steam seeping out from underneath his bedroom door, he's so mad," said Alice.

I groaned. "Great. I've made him lock himself in his room for ever and eternity."

"But you kept him from locking himself in his room when you left for Phoenix. I don't know what you said, but I guess your words made him not go into the hermit biz," Alice said.

I sighed. "I've made him so mad. He thinks that the baby is the child of one of the boys at school. Maybe he thinks that it's Mike's." I shuddered at the thought.

"Eww, gross. Mike Newton? Geez, Bella," Alice said, giggling.

I giggled half-heartedly, and then sighed. "He's going to be so…stubborn in Biology tomorrow."

I could see Alice wince in sympathy. "I feel for you, Bella. I seriously do."

"Thanks, Alice," I said sarcastically. There was a one second pause before she said, "Hey, want to come over for lunch?"

I let silence answer Alice. And then a moment later, I said, "What do you think? Edward might suddenly decide to come down to lunch."

"I guess you have a point there," Alice said.

"Exactly. Hey, Alice, do you remember the time Edward asked me to marry him back in the first grade?"

Alice burst out laughing. "That was hilarious. I remember it very clearly. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering," I said.

"I'll let you go. I think I'm going to go have a little talk with our dear little Eddie," Alice said.

"Alice, don't. If he finds out what happened from you, he'll think I forced you to tell him, and he'll think I'm a wimp for doing so," I said.

"Alright. I guess I should save that talk for you and Edward to sort out later. But can I at least tell him to suck it up and get his butt over to your house so he can apologize to you?" Alice asked. I could hear the eagerness in her voice.

"No. I'll let him cool off for a while and if he still hasn't apologized yet before Tuesday, I will personally knock some sense into his thick brain of his. You really don't want to get into trouble and lose your driving responsibility again, do you?" I asked.

"I guess you're right. Talk to you later," Alice said.

"Bye." I flipped the phone shut and sighed. I hoped we would at least make up soon.

"_Hi, Bella!" Alice said, opening the door. "Finally you're here. What took you so long?" _

"_Uh, well –" I didn't get to finish my sentence as Esme walked into the entrance way at that moment. _

"_Hey, Bella. How are you doing today?" she asked, giving me a hug._

"_I'm fine. Completely fine," I said. When I said that, my voice squeaked and I had spoken a little too quickly. Alice, Esme, and Emmett, who had come into the entrance way a couple seconds earlier, raised their eyebrows in confusion."Why wouldn't I be?"_

_Esme caught the expression on my face and said, "Emmett! Stop laughing. Can't you see she looks upset?" Oh, please no. I didn't want any sympathy or comforting. Please, no. Emmett stopped laughing and Alice looked at my face with a look of confusion and curiousness on her face. _

_I felt my face heat up with embarrassment. "Why is my face suddenly… so interesting?" I asked, looking from Alice to Esme to Emmett and then back again. _

_Esme walked into the kitchen after waving good-bye. Emmett wandered up the stairs and Alice pulled me up to her room. _

_When we were safely in her room, she said, "What's the matter? You looked like you were about to burst into tears down there." _

_Before I could answer, Edward came through the door and said, "Hey, Bella. Hey, Alice. I was just told that you guys were up here." He came over to Alice's bed where we were sitting and sat down next to me. "What's wrong, Bella? You look like you're about to burst into tears. You didn't look like that this morning when we went to school."_

_I looked at my two best friends, who I would die for them to stay alive. Would I be able to spill my secret with them, and still say good-bye at the same time?_

_I took a deep breath and said in a voice so quiet, it was just above a whisper. "Renee walked out on Charlie a week ago, and they had a custody court thing. Renee got full custody of me. She's leaving for Phoenix, Arizona tomorrow. I have to go with her. She dropped me off here a few minutes ago, so that I could say good-bye."_

_Sadness appeared across Edward's and Alice's faces. Alice's jaw dropped down in shock and Edward just sat there, a blank expression on his face. _

"_I don't want to leave Forks. I love it here. I don't want to leave you guys," I said, the tears finally falling down my face. "I'm really sorry, you guys."_

_Alice threw her arms around me. "Oh, Bella."_

_All of a sudden, Edward got up from the bed and walked out of the room, obviously angry. That made me even sadder. "I guess I should go talk to him," I said, hearing a door slam down the hall._

"_You should," Alice said. "I'll be downstairs in the kitchen."_

_I nodded slowly and hugged her once more before I walked out of the room and down the hall to Edward's bedroom. I knocked on the door and then opened the door when I heard a "go 'way." I saw him lying on his bed. He looked so cute, laying there and looking angry. "Edward," I said, approaching the bed. _

_He lifted his head. "What?"  
_

"_I don't want you to become a hermit in your room after I leave. I'm leaving tomorrow."_

"_So? You're leaving your best friends behind."_

"_Edward, don't be like that. Listen, whatever happens in the years to come, I'll always like you. No matter what. I always have liked you. Don't become and hermit and shun your life away from your family just because I left. I don't want you to become like that. Ever. It's not exactly healthy for your mental state of mind, or so I've heard." With that, I left the room._

I realized I was crying at that memory. Somehow, I hoped that Edward was remembering that moment, too, but I highly doubted it. I was in the kitchen making lunch for myself: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with ketchup. Normally, I wouldn't eat such a thing, but right then, I was really craving it. I carried my sandwich back out to the porch with my book.

Halfway through my sandwich, I heard the soft purr of an engine. I looked up. A silver Volvo was pulling into my driveway. And then Edward was getting out of his car. He shut his car door and stood there, looking impossibly gorgeous.

I stood up to go into the house, but Edward's voice stopped me. "Bella, wait. I owe you an apology."

Slowly, I turned around to face him. "Yes, you're right. Took you a bit to figure that out, didn't it?" I could hear my voice was dripping with ice. I couldn't help it; I was so mad at him, and I felt bad about it. I loved him.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to react like I did the other night. I didn't think. I just jumped to conclusions, and I'm really sorry. Please forgive me," he said. He really did sound sorry.

I stood there, arms crossed, looking at Edward. "Listen, Edward. If you would have waited just a minute more, I would have told you the reason why I'm pregnant. You were just stubborn. I didn't want to date you because of that reason." After a second of silence, I said, "Why don't you come up here so I don't have to call down to you."

Edward obliged and came silently up the steps. When he was standing in front of me, he said, "And what was the reason?"

I jerked my head in the direction of the house and when were safely inside, I quietly said, looking straight into Edward's eyes, "I was raped. That was the reason I didn't want to date you. And now I'm pregnant."

Sympathy filled Edward's eyes as he spoke. "I'm so sorry, Bella. For what happened to you and the way I stormed out on you the other night."

I realized that Edward was standing about a foot away from my now. "You're forgiven," I said, and my voice came out in a whisper. Edward's eyes were in line with my eyes, and we were both looking straight into each other's eyes. His green eyes were piercing and I could see that they were filled with…love?

"Thank you," Edward said, not looking away from my eyes.

"Edward?" I said.

"Yes?"

"I think I have something to tell you. Something that has been waiting to come out of me for a lot of years," I said. My voice was whispering again, and I could feel a blush creep up into my cheeks. Darn blushing. "I… love you."

Edward grinned after I said the words. "I love you, too, Bella. I always have for a long time."

And that was when I realized that Edward's head was moving slowly closer to mine. I could feel his hot breath against my face.

And then Edward's hand was pulling my chin up so my face could face him. He leaned in and -. Just then, singing interrupted us. We both looked down at my pocket, where my phone was. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. Alice was calling. I flipped it open and turned the phone off, placing it back in my pocket. We found our faces leaning in again, and Edward's lips captured mine.

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Author's Note: Wasn't that sweet? I thought it was. I had a really fun time writing this chapter; it didn't take me that long at all. I hate the fluffyness part between Edward and Bella at the end, though. I'm not a very good fluff writer. I had immense fun writing that first scene, when they were all little kids in first grade, when Edward proposed to Bella. I thought it was really cute. Anyways, remember to review on your way out! NerdyGuRu2


	14. Photos of Life

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter Thirteen: Photos of Life

The next two weeks passed by smoothly and without any drama.

Alice, of course, was thrilled when Edward and I told her that we were now together. Apparently, she had been dreaming about that moment ever since the time Edward proposed to me during the first grade. She was happy that Edward finally knew the truth of what happened; I had told him the day we kissed for the first time about the night it had happened. From then on, I could tell that he, along with everyone else in the Cullen family, was excited about the baby.

The day we got back to school from vacation was slightly… weird. Edward and I had just gotten together, and everybody was looking at us for the next three days, whispering behind our backs. Well, not everybody; Alice was practically the only normal one in the school who didn't do that. I was worried that if everybody found out that I was pregnant, they would immediately assume that it was Edward's, as we had just got together over the weekend.

When I told him this as him, Alice, and I were walking toward the school from the parking lot, he put his arm around my shoulders and told me not to worry, that if anyone said anything, they would have to deal with him. Alice agreed with him and said that they would have to get through her as well.

I was now eight weeks pregnant. I hadn't started to show yet, and I was eternally grateful for that. Alice told me that I probably wouldn't start to show until my third month, and that was still just a little bit over a month away.

The only good thing that came out of me finding out I was pregnant: I got to skip gym entirely. Carlisle, when I had found out I was pregnant, had given me a note to give to Coach Clapp explaining my situation. When I had given it to him, I asked him to please not tell _anyone_, as I didn't want my secret to leak out and get about the town of Forks. Thankfully, he didn't spill.

So, I got to skip a period and go home and take a half hour nap and then do homework. I was always half way done with my homework by the time Alice got to my house; we usually did homework together on Tuesday, Wednesday, and then Friday afternoons. The other days, I spent with Edward after we finished homework. We either watched videos with Alice or just sat around, being lazy.

Charlie, who was always feeling awkward about expressing his emotions, was now _not_ feeling awkward about expressing his feelings. Whenever I got up to do something, he immediately insisted that I do it for him. I told him that I could do it myself, but thanks for the gesture. He was obviously getting excited at the prospect of having a grandchild. For about a week and a half after I had told him, Charlie tried to get used to the idea that I was having a baby. Then he had confessed to me that it was going to happen sometime in the future, he might as well begin getting used to the idea.

When he said that, I felt tears come to my eyes and I hugged him.

Two weeks after Edward and I got together, I had a doctor's appointment with Carlisle.

When Alice asked me if she could go with me to the appointment, I could only reluctantly agree to let her go with me; there was no way I could resist by the way she was hopping up and down with excitement when she asked. She always hopped up and down and whenever she was excited about something, and apparently, me being pregnant was something extremely exciting.

So, on Saturday afternoon at one, I drove my truck over to the Cullen's to pick Alice up. All the way there, we listened to music on my ancient stereo.

As we were pulling into the parking lot of Forks General Hospital, Alice asked me, "Are you ready to see your baby for the first time?"

I looked at her. "I'm…not sure. Half of me wants it to turn out to be a mistake, and the other part of me wants it to be real…like I want to see my unborn child for the first time on a screen. I don't know how I feel, personally."

Alice smiled. I could tell that she really wanted to see the baby. "I know it's real. It would be an explanation of why you're so tired during the day, and for the reason why you've been puking every morning for the past four weeks. And I'm sure that mothers know when it's real, that they're pregnant. I, personally, am very sure that it is real, and I am _very_ excited about it." She then gave me a huge grin as I pulled into a parking space.

Fifteen minutes later, Carlisle walked into the examining room, pulling an ultrasound screen in. I was a little bit surprised. I had thought that I was seeing a different doctor, why was Carlisle coming through the door then?

I was about to look at Alice, but then I remembered that she had said that she would wait out in the waiting room.

"Good afternoon, Bella. How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked, turning to look at me. A huge smile was on his face. For some reason, I could tell that he was excited about this baby, which was irksome, because, he was my doctor. But then again, every member of the Cullen family was excited for me. "Have you been taking those prenatal vitamins I gave you last time?"

"I'm fine. And yes, I have taken the vitamins every morning," I said.

Carlisle nodded in approval, smiling. "Very good. Everything normal?"

I nodded. "Uh, Carlisle? May I ask you a question? It may sound stupid, though."

Carlisle smiled his always warm smile. "No questions are stupid, Bella. They are merely just questions from the minds of who like to learn. Like you, for example."

I could feel a blush of embarrassment creep up into my face as I asked Carlisle the question. "I thought I was seeing a different doctor?"

Again, Carlisle smiled his warm smile. "I thought that, since I knew you so well and that you are at my house with either Edward or Alice, I should be your doctor, so that if anything happens while you're at my house, and I'm home, then there would be a certified doctor to help. Does that answer your question?"

I nodded, beginning to feel the embarrassment begin to heighten. "You think something is going to happen?"

Carlisle, to my surprise, laughed. "Well, let's check to see if everything is normal to determine it."

My blush deepened. "Okay," I said, my voice going down in embarrassment.

Carlisle told me to lie back on the bed while he hooked the machine up. I did as he said and laid back on the very uncomfortable, leather covered bed that had a long strip of paper on it. He instructed me to lift my shirt up to my chest, and then he rubbed some cold gel onto my still flat stomach.

He flipped the machine one, and started rubbing a cord thing with a pear shaped thing on the end across and up and down on my stomach.

I looked at the screen, on which I could see a black thing. "Am I supposed to be seeing something?" I asked Carlisle.

Carlisle smiled and said, "The baby is small, but if you look a little more closely, you can see a dot in the middle." He pointed to a place on the screen and I squinted my eyes.

There, on the screen, I could see a small dot, as big as a shrunken eraser head. And I knew that, the small dot on the screen, was my baby. The baby I was going to be carrying for the next eight months or so. To my slight embarrassment, I could feel tears start to fill my eyes. It was my baby. "Hey, Carlisle, isn't it supposed to be a little bigger by now?"

Carlisle looked at the screen, and then, after a moment, said, "Yes, but, it's not too far behind the normal growth rate. It just means that the baby is going to be small."

"Or… maybe it's dead? That's why it hasn't grown. I could just have it stuck in there for the next million years until I die," I said.

Carlisle chuckled. "It's not dead. I think that the reason why it's small is because it has probably got some of your gene pool. Because you're short and small, then it will probably be like you."

"Oh," I said.

"You can see there that it has a small heartbeat, but that doesn't mean anything is wrong with it. It's not very strong, but it gets stronger as it continues to grow in your womb. Trust me; you'll believe that the baby is still alive once you start to show."

I smiled at the screen. A baby _really_ was growing in me. It was real. Part of me had been hoping that it was a mistake, and that the tests had lied. But here, sitting in front of me, was living proof that I was actually pregnant. I could feel moisture coming into my eyes. But at least these were happy tears for once.

A couple minutes later, Carlisle wiped the gel off my stomach and I sat up while he unhooked the ultrasound machine.

He then went through what I guessed was the normal procedure, asking me questions and stuff like that.

When he left the room for a few minutes, telling me that he would be right back, I sat there, on the bed, thinking.

This really was happening. My whole life was changing, and I didn't know what the heck I was supposed to do. To look through the negative list, I had no job, and I had no place to live after the baby was born. I didn't know how I was going to pay for the hospital bills for when the baby was born, and I had no money whatsoever. Well, I did have some money in my bank account, but that was for college tuition. Maybe if I got a job I would save the money for the hospital bills.

To look on the positive side, I did have a boyfriend, and I had amazing friends whom I had known for my whole life, and who I knew would help me through the months and maybe years ahead. I knew that I could get a job, but I would only be able to do it for a few months until I got so fat, that I would have to stop the job until the baby was born. And, I was pregnant.

I had put the 'I'm pregnant' on the positive list because I knew that it was a life changing thing for me, Charlie, and Renee. And somehow, I knew that it was a good life changing thing. I had this little feeling in my stomach that something good would come out of this.

My thoughts were interrupted by Carlisle coming back into the room.

"Everything looks good, Bella. I just have one more question," he said, sitting on the rolling stool next to the bed. "Have you gotten in contact with the father yet?"

I could feel my eyes darken at the word 'father'. "Um. I can't get in touch with him. He probably knows already that I'm pregnant, as he was caught a couple weeks back."

I could see sympathy go through Carlisle's face. I shook my head. "I don't want any sympathy. It's in the past now, and I grew up learning that one shouldn't dwell on the past. Hopefully, he'll go to prison. They haven't determined that yet. There's a hearing at the end of this month, determining if he gets some kind of custody or goes to jail."

"Bella, I'm so sorry for what happened to you. We all are," Carlisle said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks. But I'm over it now." I hated lying to Carlisle, who was like a second father to me. But I needed people to think that I was over it so that I could have time _to_ get over it without people worrying.

Carlisle gave me a slightly pointed look but chuckled none the less. He handed me two pieces of paper and said, "There you go. I thought that you might like to have it."

In my hands were two thing pieces of black paper. On them was….

"It's your baby's first picture," Carlisle said.

I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. It was proof of the small child in me. They were photos of life. "Thanks," I said.

Carlisle smiled. "It's something to show your son or daughter when they are old enough to start asking questions."

Again, un-willingly, I felt darkness cloud over my eyes as I though, t_hat is if I get to keep my child_.

Ten minutes later, after scheduling another appointment for next month, I headed out to the parking lot with Alice. Alice, of course, was bouncing up and down on the balls of her heels, asking me if Carlisle had done an ultrasound or not.

"Alice, calm down. I'll show you the pictures if you're a nice little girl," I said.

Alice settled down, but I could tell that she was dying to see the pictures that were tucked away safely – not folded – in my coat pocket. She began talking excitedly about nonsense.

Finally, I got so annoyed that I turned up the volume on the stereo so I couldn't hear her.

Alice didn't seem to notice. She kept on chatting happily, not caring that the music was turned up so that I couldn't hear her.

All through the drive back to Alice's house so I could drop her off, my mind was grazing through my thoughts, chewing on each of them for a little bit and then going on to another patch of thoughts.

I was jerked out of my thoughts suddenly as I realized that I was coming up to the turnoff that led to the Cullen's huge mansion. Even though I lived here for a lot of my life, I still found it a little hard to find where the turnoff was to the Cullen's driveway, as it was always covered in bushes and weeds and stuff. I knew Esme had tried to spruce it up a little trying to make it decorative, but it didn't exactly work.

As Alice opened the front door and walked in, me following, we could hear noises and shouts coming from the living room. Apparently, all the boys were home. They were obviously playing video games.

"Boys," Alice muttered as she walked to the kitchen, me following. "They may be hot, and they may be our boyfriends, but they never change."

I nodded in agreement.

As Alice pulled two glasses from the cupboard and milk from the fridge, she said, "Now can I see those pictures? I'm dying to." She grabbed a package of Oreos from the cupboard and brought it to the Island, where she sat down next to me. She gave me her pleading look as she bit into an Oreo.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. I pulled the two pieces of paper from my coat, which was draped across the back of the chair. Reluctantly, I set them down on the table between us so that she could see.

Alice leaned forward, looked at the ultrasound photos, and squealed with excitement and happiness. "She's so cute!" she said.

I looked at her. "How do you know it's a girl? It's barely visible. It's probably so small that it's just waiting for awhile to suddenly pop up over night to the size of an elephant. I will be so huge!"

Alice hugged me excitedly. "You're not going to give birth to an elephant. The baby's just really small."

"Yeah it's pretty small. I'm not even showing yet. And how do you know it's a girl. It could be a boy. Maybe it's both," I said, my eyes going wide with shock. "I don't want to have twins!"

"Bella. It's one baby in there. I think your stomach would be a little bigger than it is now," Alice said.

"Alright," I said, annoyed for an unknown reason. I stared at the ultrasound picture, thinking. "Do you think that I'll be able to show my son or daughter this picture when they get old enough the start asking questions?"

Alice looked at me, biting into another Oreo. "Why?"

"What if I don't get custody, Alice? Who knows what could happen. I don't want my kid to meet this guy, ever. The guys face keeps appearing in my dreams every night, and he looks so menacing, and so…old."

Alice wrapped an arm around me. "You'll get custody, Bella. Don't worry about it. The guy will rot in jail for the rest of his life. You didn't deserve what happened to you."

"Thanks, Alice," I said, wrapping my arm around her as well. "Thank you."

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Author's Note: Phew! Finally I managed to finish the chapter; I had a bit of trouble writing the beginning of the chapter. So? What did you think of it? Sorry there wasn't any Edward in it, but I promise that he'll be in the next chapter. Or, let's hope that I can find some way to incorporate Edward into the chapter. I know he hasn't been previewed lately.

Sorry about the few days wait. I've been doing school, homework, and I haven't been feeling good the past couple days. Stupid French Toast...glares at French Toast. But I am feeling better. Next chapter should be up within the next couple days or so, since I have no life and I'm not going to Snow Camp this weekend, so all my friends are gone. Anyway, I'm going to post this chapter and then possibly start on the next chapter. Caio! NerdyGuRu2


	15. Nervousness and Fear

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Author's Note: This chapter may be a little longer than the previous ones, but I'm not sure. Enjoy!

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Chapter Fourteen: Nervousness and Fear

A week later, on Friday evening, I was over at the Cullen's house. Edward, Alice, and I had declared Friday night movie night with Esme and Carlisle. Esme and Carlisle had gone with Alice to pick up the pizza we had ordered and a couple of movies. I didn't get why they were going to rent a movie, as they had almost every movie known to man in their movie collection.

Currently, Edward and I were sitting on the couch, watching the evening news and waiting for their return. For some reason, I had always found the news interesting. But now, I just found it absolutely devastating.

For example, that night, there was a report about how a dog had gone missing and that the family who owned the dog had put it on the news to help find their missing pet. At the first mention of 'missing', I felt tears come to my eyes.

"That is so sad," I said as tears started to roll down my cheeks.

I looked over at Edward and saw that he was obviously trying to hold back his laughter. I glared at him. "And what do you find so funny, mister? A dog has gone missing. It's not funny, it's sad."

Edward started snickering, he couldn't help it. And then he started to laugh. "I'm sorry, Bella. It's just that you're crying at the most stupidest thing."

Oh, what a wrong thing to say, Edward Cullen. I glared at him some more as he continued to laugh. I picked up the pillow next to me and hit him in the face with it. "I can't help that I cry at news reports, Edward. My hormone level is out of my control sometimes," I said.

Edward tried to stop laughing. He looked at me, eyes full of sorry. "I'm sorry, Bella. Will you please forgive me?"

Why, oh why did he have to dazzle me with his eyes? I rolled my eyes and said, "Of course, I'll forgive you, Edward."

Edward grinned my favorite crooked smile at me. He leaned in and his lips captured mine. I melted into his kiss. When we broke apart a moment later, mostly because I had to breathe, he said, "Thanks."

I smiled at him as we turned our attention back to the T.V. screen. I laid my head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around mine. We stayed like that, perfectly content, watching the news. I had to say that whenever we were sitting like this, it was nice and comfortable. I even have to admit that, embarrassingly, I liked the way he smelled.

We watched the weather, hearing that there was going to be a thunderstorm on Monday. After the weather, came another most embarrassing moment in my life.

Alice, Esme, and Carlisle walked into the living room just as the news person on the screen gave out another report. It was then that I remembered that I still hadn't told anyone that there was a court date set for halfway through the month of March, which was only a week and a half away.

"A man was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona in February for the charge of the rape of an eighteen year old girl, by the name of Isabella Swan. He is being held in the Phoenix jail and then being taken to Forks, Washington for a hearing. The court date is set for March 17. In other news…."

My head had been lying on Edward's shoulder when the Cullen's had entered the living room, but I pushed myself into a sitting position, my eyes glued to the T.V. screen. When the report ended, my eyes traveled to anywhere in the living room to avoid the gazes of the Cullen's. I could feel my face blush a deep crimson.

"Bella?" Alice asked quietly, her voice holding concern.

I knew that I would start to cry at any moment, and I had to get away from there. My secret was out. Possibly half the kids at school now knew that I had been raped. But hopefully, they wouldn't figure out that I was pregnant.

I got my legs to move, and I stood up, pulling myself out of Edward's grasp. Still avoiding the gazes of the Cullen's, I said, "I…I have to go. Charlie's going to be home soon, anyway. I'll see you guys later." I grabbed my coat and was turned to leave.

I opened the front door and walked out, shutting the door softly behind me. Tears were threatening to break through at any moment, and I didn't want the Cullen's to see me cry. I knew it was ridiculous, but it was true; I didn't like anyone to see me cry. I pulled on my coat, already walking to my truck. Getting into my truck, I pulled my keys from the pocket of my jeans and stuffed them into the ignition. Turning them, the engine roared to life, and I turned the heater on. It was beginning to rain, and I wanted to get home before it got to pouring buckets.

As I was driving along the road, my thoughts were in different places in my head, all scrambled around, impossible to think through any of them.

My cell phone started to ring. I stuffed my hand into my coat pocket and pulled out the phone, looking briefly at the caller ID. It read CULLENS. I groaned in frustration, turning my attention back on the road. It rung for a moment more and then it stopped halfway through a tune, indicating that they had reached my answering machine.

Twelve minutes later, my house came into view, and I had never been so happy to see that house in my entire life. I parked my truck in the driveway and ran through the now pouring rain to the porch. Unlocking the door, I hurried inside and shut the door behind me. Unable to hold them back any longer, I let the tears go.

I slid down to the floor, leaning against the door. I sat there for a good twenty minutes or so, crying.

When I finally managed to control my sobs, I got up from the floor. I headed upstairs to my bedroom, where I grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt and headed to the bathroom. After I had changed, I wandered back into my room, where I laid on my bed.

How could I be so stupid as to not tell them? I asked myself as fresh tears slid down my face.

The whole weekend, I avoided the Cullen's calls. Instead, I worked on homework due Monday and homework that was due at the end of the month, such as an essay and a research paper on some dead person who invented some inoculation for some disease.

On Monday morning after breakfast, I stood in front of my mirror in my room, looking at my stomach. I could tell from looking that I had begun to take on just a couple pounds. The thought brought tears to my eyes. _Darn hormones_, I thought. I had been expecting that; I was a little over two months along. I _should _be expecting it.

Sighing, I picked up my school bag and slung it over my shoulder.

Heading downstairs, I called to Charlie, who was in his room getting ready for work, "Bye, Dad!" Without waiting for an answer, I headed out the door and to my truck. I was intending on getting to school early.

When I arrived in the school parking lot, I saw that I was currently the only one there. It was ten minutes after seven, so I knew that the school was now unlocked. Putting my phone in my bag, I got out of the truck, pulling my bag across my chest.

I walked into English class a few minutes later. Sitting down in my seat, I pulled my drawing book out of my bag and began to draw. It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that realized what I was drawing. I blushed. I had been drawing Edward and me, sitting on the couch on Friday night. My arm was lying on his chest, my head lying on Edward's shoulder, his arm wrapped around my shoulder.

Closing the drawing pad shut, I put my elbows on the desk and covered my face with my hands. I wasn't mad at Edward, or any of the Cullen's. I was just embarrassed. To hear what happened to me blaring out from the television…that was highly embarrassing.

Alice walked into the room just then, and when she spotted me, she came to sit at the desk next to me, as she did every day. "Hey," she said.

"Hi," I said, looking down at the desk top.

"Listen, Bella. I know you're embarrassed about what happened the other night," Alice began.

I cut her off. "Alice, don't. I completely forgot to tell you about that court date. For you to hear it on the news like that…it was completely embarrassing."

Alice gave me a look of sympathy. "Don't worry about it, Bella. I'm sure that it's not something one would tell their best friends about the moment they found out about it."

Students were beginning to fill the room up, so we had to begin to speak in whispers.

"I'm really sorry about avoiding your calls over the weekend. I didn't really want to talk to anyone," I said. "And about just walking out on you guys Friday night. It was really rude of me."

Alice smiled. "It's alright. We understood. Edward was going to go after you, but Esme _and_ Carlisle told him not to. He was a little upset, but he realized that he should let you cool off for a little bit. And about the calls, about half the time it was Edward calling. I finally told him to quit it yesterday afternoon."

I smiled slightly. I couldn't answer her as our English teacher walked in just then, just as the bell signaling the start of class rung.

All through the morning, I was paranoid. I kept on thinking that everybody knew my secret and that they were whispering behind my back.

When we walked to our lunch table after going through the line – Alice had put healthy stuff onto my tray again – I could see Edward sitting with a lunch tray in front of him. As I sat down next to him with Alice across from us, he said, "Are you alright? I've been trying to call you all weekend."

I looked at him. "Yeah. I guess. Sorry for walking out on you guys like that."

"Forget about it. We understood. You were embarrassed about –" Edward got cut off by me putting a hand over his mouth.

"Sh! I don't want people to know about. They might know about it already," I hissed.

I took my hand away as Alice giggled. "You're just being paranoid, Bella," she said. "I don't think that anybody knows. I don't think that people in this school actually watch the evening news, don't worry about it." She took a drink of her lemonade.

Edward laughed. "She's right you know," he said, giving me a look that was clearly meant to dazzle me.

"Oh, stop it, Mr. Dazzle-frazzle. You know that your dazzling me always works and it makes me not able to breath, which I sort of need to," I said, taking a bite of the spinach salad Alice had placed on my tray. I grimaced and said, "Alice, why do you insist every single day that I eat spinach? You know I hate spinach."

Alice smiled and said, "It's healthy."

I glared at her. "You've been reading my book again, haven't you?"

"I might have read it once or twice," she answered, looking at Edward for help.

"I've read the book before, Alice. I even read it twice more. Plus, I have the list of foods I should and shouldn't eat that Carlisle gave me," I said. "Want this?" I asked of Edward, holding out my plate of spinach salad to him.

He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I do love you, Bella, but I got to say that I've never been much of a fan of spinach. Sorry."

I sighed and plopped the plate back down on the tray. "I'll eat the apple and the chicken, if that makes you happy, Alice. But please don't make me eat spinach again. Besides, all the smells wafting through here are making me feel a little nauseous."

"Alright," Alice said, giving a reluctant sigh.

When I got home after Biology, I went up to my room to change into some comfortable pants. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, I sat on my bed with my homework. I had to admit that I was a nerd when it came to reading and doing homework. I had a strong feeling that my child would be a homework nerd as well, when he or she got old enough to get homework in school.

All through the week, I was grateful to find that nobody at school knew about what happened or that I was pregnant. All week, I went to school, came home and did my homework, hung out with Edward or Alice and made Charlie and me dinner. I did this mainly because I was trying to keep my mind off the impending court date.

The morning of the court date was soon upon me, and I was as nervous as a hen getting chased by a fox or coyote. It was set for 1:00 in the afternoon, so I was able to go to school, but I had to skip Biology.

At lunch the day of the trial, I was getting so nervous that I wasn't able to eat a thing.

"Bella, you have to eat something," Alice said, trying to encourage me to eat something.

Edward was the same way. He too tried to get me to eat something.

But I couldn't eat. The height of the nervousness was making me nauseous, and I didn't think that I would be able to hold anything down. It was really unfortunate that I was still going through morning sickness; I was still a little woozy from that morning. "No. I don't think I would be able to hold anything down. All the smells are getting to me." My face was buried in my face, elbows propped up on the table.

A girl walked past with a tray of food, and the smell wafting from the tray triggered my senses. That did it. I got up from the table and walked toward the nearest exit. Luckily, there was a bathroom down the hall from the cafeteria. Bursting through one of the stall doors, I made it to the toilet just in time for my stomach to erupt.

I heard the bathroom door open and then close, and I knew that Alice had followed me. Edward probably would have followed me in as well, but it was a girl's bathroom, and it would be slightly awkward.

"Bella?" asked Alice as she knocked softly on the stall door.

"I'm okay," I managed to mumble out before I threw up once again.

Feeling absolutely miserable and nauseous, I flushed the toilet and shakily stood up. A blush creeping up into my face, I opened the stall door to reveal Alice's worried face. I must have looked horrible.

"Oh, Bella," she said.

I sighed and went across to a sink. I washed my hands and then splashed water on my face. Looking into the mirror, I could see Alice's face. It was full of sympathy.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

I nodded silently. "That wasn't just because of morning sickness. It was a mixture of things."

"Like what?" Alice asked, knowing what I was talking about.

I turned to face her. I could feel tear start to well up in my eyes. "It was a mixture of nervousness, the smells in the cafeteria, and fear."

Alice walked over and engulfed me in a hug. "I'm sure that it's going to be alright, Bella. You'll get custody. And that man who did this to you will go to jail and stay there until he rots to the bone."

"I'm scared that he'll get out of jail in the years to come and try to take the baby away from me. I don't want that to happen," I said, tears starting to fall down my cheeks. I didn't want my baby to be taken away from me, no matter what happened.

"That guy deserves to rot, Bella. He deserves whatever is going to happen to him in that courthouse this afternoon," Alice said.

I looked at my best friend. "You're right. He does deserve to rot in jail. I'm beginning to love this baby too much to let anything happen to it."

Alice smiled and hugged me. "That's the Bella I know and love. I'm sure that you'll do just fine this afternoon."

"You're right," I said, and I couldn't help but smile back at her.

When we walked back out to the hallway, it was just as I expected: Edward was leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door. When Alice and I walked out, Edward stood up and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "You alright?" he asked, voice full of worry. I saw that he was holding my book bag and coat.

I nodded silently. "I'm going to go. I have to get ready for…."

My voice trailed off. I smiled at Edward and Alice, knowing that my smile was nervous looking.

Alice smiled sympathetically. "You'll do fine, Bella."

"Yes you will," Edward said, putting his fingers under my chin to tilt my face up to his. He leaned in and kissed me before letting me go.

"Thanks. I'll see you guys later," I said, and took the bag and coat from Edward. Kissing him on the cheek one last time, I turned and walked down the hall.

When I arrived at the courthouse half hour later, I stood in front of the main doors, looking at it. Charlie was next to me. I was wearing the most comfortable pair of jeans I could find and my royal blue blouse that Edward liked so much.

"You know, it never looked as big as it does now," I said.

"Nervous?" Charlie asked. I looked at him.

"Yeah. Not really," I said.

"Let's go. It's almost time," Charlie said, and led the way inside.

When we got to the room where the trial was going to be held, I couldn't help but stop in front of the doors for just a moment. When I got the courage to turn the handle on the doors, I thought, _here goes nothing_, and stepped into the room that would determine my rights with my baby.

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Author's Note: So, how did you like?I hope it wasn't boring. But then again, all stories have to have a boring chapter. I promise that the next chapter will be more interesting. And it will, trust me. It may be a tad bit dramatic. Finally I managed to incorporate Edward into the story. I'm not sure if he will appear in the next chapter though.

Next Chapter: Bella will finally know if she'll get custody or not. Should be interesting to see how it comes out as I am writing it. I don't think that there will be a cliffhanger at the end. I'm not sure if there was a cliffhanger at the end of this one, I'll leave it up to you who read it to determine it. The next chapter may be longer than most of these chapters, but I'm not sure. I'm doing this on word, and I am trying to limit each chapter to up to five pages long. Remember to review! Until Next Time, NerdyGuRu2


	16. My Baby

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter Fifteen: My Baby

The door off to the side opened, and I looked up to see a police officer lead a handcuffed man into the courtroom. When I saw him, I immediately knew that he was the father of the baby. He was exactly like the man I had drawn on the piece of paper. He had the exact same features, though this time, I could see that his eyes were green, but a lot duller than Edward's eyes. As he walked past me, he looked at me with such fury, that I wanted to cower back in fear.

He was seated at a table that was opposite me. His lawyer was already sitting there, and when he sat down they began to converse in low tones. My lawyer was already sitting in the chair next to me and he was going over what would happen in the events that followed. He was a nice young man, and he was kind to me.

"All rise for the judge," said a police officer that was standing next to a door that was in the front of the courtroom. I rose obediently, along with everyone else that was in the courtroom, which, thankfully, wasn't that many.

The judge walked through the door and sat down in the chair at the big desk type thing in the center. When he sat down, the same officer said, "All sit."

I sat down again. I was feeling nervous again. Now I was wishing that I had told Edward and Alice that they could come along. When they had asked if they could come along for mental support, I politely told them that I didn't want them to see what happened, that it would be better mental support if they weren't there. Reluctantly, they agreed.

I barely heard what went on during the next few minutes. Finally the judge said, "James Andrew Stuartson, please come up to the stand." I looked up, but I barely heard what my lawyer said to the man who was responsible for getting me pregnant. Though I could hear the words, I could barely distinguish them.

My mind was occupied with the horrible thoughts of what might happen if I didn't get custody of the baby and the custody rights went to the man sitting at the stand. I didn't know how I could live with myself if that happened. I wouldn't be able to show my face to Alice or Edward or the rest of the Cullen's again. I didn't want that to happen; everybody was happy for me and excited about the baby.

I managed to hear the last questions the lawyer as James Stuartson.

"Do you verify that you raped Isabella Swan?"

"Yes I do," he said. He stared at me when he said this, looking me straight in the eye. It was all I could do to not cower away from the fury and anger that was in his eyes. Instead, I looked away.

"That will be all, thank you."

"I call Isabella Marie Swan up to the stand, please," I heard the judge say, snapping me out of my thoughts. The lawyer squeezed my hand encouragingly and smiled at me.

Shakily, I stood and walked up to the podium and sat down in the chair.

The officer placed a Bible in front of me and instructed me to place my right hand on it. "Do you swear upon this bible to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" he asked.

"Yes," I croaked out.

The Bible was taken away then and my lawyer got up to question me. "Miss Swan, can you please tell me what happened the night you were raped?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I was walking to my car from where I worked. I had to walk down an alley to get to my car, and it was next to an old abandoned building. I didn't hear him walk up behind me. It was dark in that alley way, and I could only just make out the features of his face. He pulled into the abandoned building, and then he…. Well, you know why we're here."

"It says here that you found out that you were pregnant after you got raped, and you knew that the baby's was James Andrew Stuartson's baby?" the lawyer asked.

"Yes," I said, fighting hard to not say it through gritted teeth; I could feel the level of hysteria rising to a high point.

"How far along were you when you found out?"

I fought hard to control my voice. "About five weeks."

"And how old are you, Miss Swan?"

I took a deep breath. Now I was wishing more than ever that I had agreed to Alice and Edward coming with me. "I'm eighteen years old."

"Thank you, Miss Swan. You may return to your seat," the lawyer said.

Grateful, I stood up and walked back to my seat at the table. Sitting down, I mentally took a deep breath. Now it was just up to the court to decide who got custody or not and if he went to jail or not. I couldn't help but think, as I looked at the judge talking to the police officer in low, monotone voices, of the thought that crossed my mind that day in the doctor's office, waiting to receive the news from Carlisle, '_You fate lies within that man's hands_'. But that thought wasn't for me. No, it was for the man at the table opposite me. And I didn't feel sorry for him at all. Not even a centimeter in my heart felt for him. Alice was right; he did deserve whatever was coming for him.

"Five minute recess!" called the police officer.

Never in my life had I felt five minutes pass by excruciatingly slow. I sat there, barely hearing the lawyer talking to me. I could only nod my head, only just managing to nod at the right places.

We had been in the courtroom for an hour and a half, and I was beginning to feel the claustrophobia of closeness slowly creep up over me.

"All rise for the judge," the police officer called out once again.

Once again, everybody in the courtroom stood along with me as the judge walked back into the room.

"We have come to the conclusion of sentencing Mr. James Andrew Stuartson to eight years in prison for the rape of Miss Isabella Swan. Miss Swan has gained full custody of the unborn child, and Mr. James Stuartson will not be able to take the child away from said mother, nor get custody, even when he is out of prison," the judge said.

Clapping broke out amongst the people in the courtroom, and even though I wanted to, I resisted the urge to clap along with them.

When I heard that I had gained full custody of my unborn child, I wanted to burst out into tears of happiness. I could feel the tears starting to run slowly down my face, and I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face when James Stuartson was stood up from his seat and led by the arm away. As he walked past me, he looked into my face, and once again I could see the anger on his face.

"I'll come back for you, just you wait," he said, and his voice was full of menace.

But his words couldn't penetrate and wound the feeling of elation that was soaring through me. I had gained _full_ custody of my child. My child, I couldn't believe it! I was so happy. He wouldn't be able to hurt me or my baby again.

As Charlie and I left the courtroom five minutes later, the lawyer asked us to come with him to his office, so I could sign the legal custody papers, claiming that I had full custody.

We obliged and when we got to the office, he told us to sit in front of the desk in the chairs. Sitting down, he placed some papers in front of us. Handing me a pen, he told me to sign on the lines, and initial here and there. I had to sign the two documents, one for the state and one for me to keep.

When we were driving back home in Charlie's police cruiser – he had insisted on driving – ten minutes later, Charlie asked, "How do you feel?"

I sighed, thinking for the right words to say to him. "I don't know. I mean, I feel so…elated, if that's the correct word for it. I guess I'm relieved as well. He won't be coming after me or the baby, and he's going to be in prison for the next eight years."

"Understandable," Charlie said, eyes looking out the windshield. I couldn't blame him.

We were pulling into the driveway by then. When the cruiser stopped, I grabbed the custody papers from the seat between Charlie and me, and got out of the car. Charlie had to go back to work, so he was dropping me off.

"I'll be back home at six," Charlie said.

"Alright, bye," I said, watching the cruiser pull back out of the driveway. I stood there in the drizzling rain before I walked up the porch steps and went into the house. I headed up the stairs to my bedroom, where I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt and changed into them, glad to be out of the jeans and blouse.

Before I headed downstairs, I stopped in front of the mirror and turned sideways. I pulled my shirt as tight around my stomach as it would allow and saw the teeniest of bumps. I placed my hand over it, and I could feel a teeny bump. It was hardly noticeable in the mirror, but I could definitely feel it if I placed a hand over it.

I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face.

Grabbing my school bag and trac phone from my bed where I had left it earlier that afternoon, I head down to the living room. I place _Titanic_ in the DVD player and watched it while I did my homework. Luckily, I managed to finish my homework before the sad part came up, which was where Jack and Rose were running up the stairs of the boat, trying to escape the water and then falling into the ocean when the ship sank. I also cried my eyes out when Rose discovers that Jack had died and she pushed him off the raft thing.

Deciding that I had had enough of the movie, I shut the television off and looked at the clock on my phone. 5:30. I had to get going on supper.

Getting up from the couch and heading into the kitchen, I scouted around for a box of noodles and a can of tomato sauce. I finally found a box of the swirly noodles and I heated up a pot of water. When it was boiling a few minutes later, I poured the box in.

I sat at the kitchen table with _Pride and Prejudice_ so that I could stir the pasta from time to time. A couple chapters in, I found my hand traveling to my stomach, where I could feel the tiny bump again. I smiled. I loved this baby even more now that I knew that it wasn't going to be taken away from me.

Stirring the pasta around in the pot, I found my hand rubbing circles on my stomach, and I realized that it felt…nice.

Seven minutes later, I took a noodle from the pot with the spoon and I picked it up with my fingers, placing it in my mouth. Though it was hot, I chewed it with my teeth and it was nice and soft chewing. I turned the burner off and placed a strainer in the sink.

As Charlie and I were eating supper fifteen minutes later, I decided to broach upon him the topic that had been on my mind all afternoon. "Hey, dad?" I asked.

Charlie looked up from his noodle and said, "Yes, Bella?"

"How do you feel, dad? I mean, we've never really had the chance to talk about how you feel about me being pregnant," I said. And it was true. Because he never clearly expressed his emotions, he didn't express his emotions and what he thought about me having a baby.

Charlie looked at me briefly, and then looked down at his pasta. He took a deep breath and said, "Well, I'm happy for you, if that covers it."

I could see a slight smile form across his face. "What I meant was that I look a lot like mom did when she was my age, and now I'm pregnant at the same age she was when she became pregnant with me. It must be a little hard on you, don't you think? And I'm not trying to be offensive to you or anything," I said, adding that last sentence as a side note.

Charlie looked at me, and then quickly turned his gaze again to his noodles. "Well, Bella, it does make me think back to those days, and it does remind me a little of the situation your mom and I were in back when we had just finished high school. But it doesn't bother me, not one bit. One shouldn't dwell on past experiences, as your mother always told us."

I smiled slightly and looked down at my plate.

"What do you think of becoming a grandfather this early? Surely you must have thought that you would become a grandfather when I was out of the house, thirty years old, married to a nice guy," I said.

Charlie, to my surprise, chuckled. He reached over and ruffled up my hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail. "Just don't be going and getting married the minute after you graduate."

I chuckled. "I don't think that will happen, dad. Don't worry about it."

That night, as I lay in bed, I turned onto my side. I was holding the ultrasound photo in my hand and looking at it. I could see the outline of the baby inside me, and I tenderly ran a finger over it, smiling. There was my baby, lying safely in my stomach. I got out of bed and went across my room and laid it on my dresser. I touched my fingers to my lips and then laid them gently on the spot showing the baby.

I whispered, "Goodnight, my baby. I love you."

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Author's Note: Here's another chapter. I hope you all liked this chapter. Sorry if the trial part of it sucked a little bit; the only trials I've watched have been on TV on those detective shows like Cold Case or Close to Home (just so you know, I don't watch those shows - they scare me too much - but I have seen snippets of the court cases), so I don't exaclty know what goes on during one. I am pretty impressed with how the chapter turned out. I am sure that all of you are glad that Bella got custody of her baby.

Next Chapter... probably won't be for another couple days or so. I have a book report due tomorrow and I haven't exactly finished the book yet. mentally slaps self on the head. Ha. I'll try to update as soon as I can. I'm getting distracted, so I'll end right here. Remember to Review and don't forget to tell me how you liked the chapter. Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2


	17. Toasts

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter Sixteen: Toasts

Sleep didn't treat me at all well that night. My dreams were disturbed by the face of the baby's father, looking down at me with such menace and anger. His words rang through my dreams and echoed, making it even creepier than it already was. _I'll come back for you, just you wait_. I kept waking up and then falling asleep, only to be haunted by the same dream over and over again. In the end, I only got about three hours of sleep.

I was awoken the next morning by the sound of my phone ringing. Sleepily, I felt around the bedside table with my hand. My hand came in contact with my alarm clock and it fell to the floor, along with my phone, which continued to ring.

Grumbling, I leaned over the side of the bed and felt around for it. Finding it, I flipped it open and laid back on the bed. I saw on the caller ID that it was Edward calling. I groaned and groggily said, "What?"

"Good morning to you, too sweetheart. What's wrong? You sound grumpy," Edward said, stating the obvious.

"Well, I just got a phone call at all hours of the morning by my boyfriend who sounds more chipper than usual this morning, and plainly, it's annoying," I said, annoyed by getting woken up. "What time is it anyway? No one is that chipper sounding early in the morning."

On the other end, Edward laughed. "I'm sorry. I just figured that I should call to tell you that Alice and I are picking you up for school. And it's…uh, five to seven. We'll be there in fifteen minutes."

I sat bolt upright. That wasn't such a bright idea. "I'm going to have to call you back, Edward. Bye!" Flipping the phone shut without waiting for Edward to answer, I pushed the covers back and ran to the bathroom.

Emerging ten minutes later, I walked slowly back to my room. Realizing I had only five minutes to get dressed, I hurried to my dresser and found a pair of comfortable jeans and a plain black T-shirt. Throwing them on in less than a minute and a half, I threw my books into my book bag. After, I went back to the bathroom where I hurriedly brushed my teeth twice.

There was a knock on the door downstairs and I went down the stairs, bag on my shoulder. Calling behind me for whoever was at the door to come in, I headed into the kitchen where I took the orange juice from the fridge.

"Hey, Bella," came Alice's voice as she appeared in the kitchen.

"Hey," I said, filling a glass with the orange juice.

"So, Edward woke you up this morning?" Alice said with laughter in her voice as she sat down at the kitchen table.

I turned around, nodding. "He sounded way too chipper this morning if you ask me."

Alice giggled. "He sounded perfectly normal to me. Ready to go?" she asked, as I had finished my cup of orange juice.

I nodded.

When we got to Edward's car, Alice slid into the back, which meant that I had the front seat. Rolling my eyes and smiling, I got into the car.

"Good morning. How'd you sleep?" Edward asked as I got in.

Shutting the door, I glared at him. "Just peachy until you interrupted it." The last three words of my sentence came out annoyed sounding.

Alice and Edward laughed as he pulled out of the driveway and started down the street.

"Not that I didn't appreciate you calling, because I probably would have overslept, it's just I probably got three hours of sleep last night. My dreams were haunted by his face and his words," I said.

Alice and Edward stopped laughing. They knew who I was talking about.

"Speaking of which," Alice said, seeing that I needed a change of topic, "how did it go yesterday afternoon? It can't have been that bad."

I turned my head to look at her, a sad smile on my face. "It wasn't _too_ bad, but it was excruciating. An hour and a half or so has never seemed so long before. And the five minute recess…really long."

"What was the verdict?" Edward asked.

I turned to look at him. "The guy, he ended up being sentenced to eight years in prison. Meaning, I have full custody of my baby. He won't be able to hurt me or my baby, ever. He won't even get partial custody, even when he's out of jail," I said, quietness filling my voice.

Alice squealed and Edward said, "Alright! We knew you would get full custody, Bella."

"Yeah," I said. His words were now etched into my mind, making the feeling of elation ebb away in pieces. Every time I thought of those words, I couldn't help but mentally shudder.

Edward was the first one to notice my sudden quietness – Alice was trying as best as she could to bounce up and down in excitement of me getting full custody. "What's the matter Bella?" he asked, worry filling his eyes as he briefly looked at me.

I sighed. "Nothing really."

We were pulling into the school parking lot by then. Edward pulled into parking space and stopped the car. Putting an arm around me, he said, "Alright."

"We'll be late for class," I said, smiling up at him. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold what was on my mind from him any longer.

That afternoon, at the end of Biology, Mike Newton came up to the desk Edward and I were sitting at, stuffing out biology books back in our bags.

"Hey, Bella," he said.

From the look on his face, I knew that he was determined to try to win me over…again. What was with this guy? "Hello, Mike. What are you doing over here?" I said.

"Are you feeling alright?" Mike asked.

I looked at him. "Why wouldn't I be? I feel perfectly fine."

"Well, you know. You were absent yesterday and I just assumed that you were sick. So are you feeling better? You looked a little sick going out of the cafeteria yesterday," Mike said. Again, what was with this guy? "And I was wondering if you were free this Friday night."

I began stuffing the couple pieces of loose-leaf paper into my bag, so that I could avoid the gaze of Mike. I knew that Edward was looking at me. "First off, it's none of your business where I was or was not, and I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to ask me out because I already have a boyfriend. Now if you'll excuse me…." I had managed to keep my voice calm as I said this, to my immense relief.

Calm on the outside but fuming on the inside, I stalked out of the room, leaving Mike behind with a stunned expression.

As I walked down the hall toward the exit, I felt a hand be placed on my shoulder and turn me around. I jumped and turned around so fast that I almost bumped into Edward, who had grabbed my shoulder.

"Hi," I said, looking down at the floor.

"Are you alright? That was some stuff back there. I don't think that anyone has ever told him to back off or something like that," he said, and I could hear the laughter in his voice.

I tilted my head up to look at him. "It's not funny. I don't want anyone to know where I was yesterday. It is none of their business. I'm going to go. I'll see you later," I quietly said, and Edward knew that I didn't want to be bothered anymore.

"Where are you going? You don't have a car," Edward said to my retreating back.

I stopped. "I can walk," I said. "It's not that far."

Edward walked up to me, chuckling. "You're not going to walk back to your house, just because you don't have a car."

I sighed. "Then I'll go to the office and wait there. I'm sure that the receptionist wouldn't mind me sitting there. She knows that I don't go to gym anymore. That make you happy?"

Edward nodded, smiling. He leaned forward to kiss me, and I happily obliged. When we broke apart, I waved good-bye to him and turned again to walk down the hallway, waving good-bye. He waved back as he watched me go.

The admission office was across the campus, and as soon as I stepped outside, I could see that it was going to be a wet walk to the office. I managed to get there just seconds before it started to pour, and I hurried inside to avoid getting soaked, which probably wouldn't be good for me.

The receptionist looked up when I walked in. "May I help you?"

"Is it alright if I just sit over there on the couch? I don't have class this period, and I don't have a ride home to school," I said as politely as I could.

The red haired receptionist looked at me suspiciously before saying, "You're Isabella Swan, right? The one who got excused from gym for the rest of the year by her doctor?"

I blushed and nodded. "Yes."

"Have a seat," the receptionist said in a bored sounding voice.

"Thanks," I said and went to sit on the small couch that was in the room. I sat down and decided that while I had the opportunity, that I should at least start on my homework.

For the next hour, I did my homework. When I glanced up at the clock, I saw that it was five minutes to the time at Edward's and Alice's last class ended. I stuffed my books back into my bag and walked out of the room, after briefly saying good-bye to the receptionist.

As we were walking into the Cullen's house twenty minutes later, Esme greeted us at the door as she was walking past into the kitchen with a pile of folded kitchen towels.

"Hello, dears," she said.

We followed her into the kitchen, where we sat down at the Island.

"Hey, mom," Alice said. Her voice sounded way too chipper.

Esme looked at her with a smile on her face. "Now what's gotten you so excited, Alice? You seem really chipper."

Alice giggled and blurted out," Bella got custody!'

Esme turned to me with a wide and happy smile. "Congratulations, Bella. You had that court hearing yesterday afternoon didn't you? How'd it go?"

I looked down at my arms, which were folded on the Island top. "Uh, good."

"The guy got sent to jail for eight years! Isn't that great?" Alice asked.

Edward, Esme, and I turned to look at Alice, who was looking at each of us, a huge grin on her face. However, the grin faltered a little when she saw the blank looks on our faces. Well, I had a blank look on my face; Edward and Esme had glares on their faces. "What?" she asked.

I shook my head, saying, "Never mind, Alice. Yes it is great that he's going to prison for eight years, but what I'm worried about is after he gets out of jail. What is he comes looking for me? What if he does find me?" I could feel my level of hysteria rising.

Edward put an arm around me. "He's not going to come after you. If he does, I might just have to punch the living daylights outta him."

Alice and I giggled. Esme gave Edward a stern look. "You most certainly will not, young man," she scolded.

"Sorry, mom," Edward said, mockingly ducking his head.

I sighed. "But those words he said to me as he was being taken away...they're only now just taking effect, now that the excitement has worn off."

"What did he say, Bella?" Esme asked, sitting down at the Island on one of the stools.

"He said, '_I'll come back for you, just you wait_.' He said it with such menace and anger that he sounded like he really meant it." I sighed and said, "I don't know. But I guess I'll just have to not rely on the far away future, and just let things come as they come."

They all smiled.

"That's right, Bella. Don't worry about anything. You'll be alright," Esme said.

"To lighten the mood in this room, I say we toast to Bella getting full custody. But not with champagne, of course, don't know how people can stand the taste of it anyway," Alice said, hopping up from the Island and going to the refrigerator and began to route through it.

"We don't have it anyways. How about…hmm, let's see. Aha! Milk!" said Alice. She stood up fully holding a jug of milk in her hand. "We can toast with milk."

Edward laughed and I laughed and Esme got drinking glasses out of the cupboard. She poured some milk into each cup and handed them out to us, leaving on for herself.

"To Bella, who got full custody of her unborn child!" Alice said, holding up her glass. Edward and Esme followed suit.

Feeling absolutely ridiculous, I followed suit.

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Author's Note: So? How did you like it? I liked it, though I had to rearrange some segments of it, and delete a tiny part of it. But I think it came out great. Next Chapter... should be up soon, depends on if I stay distracted and not able to concentrate on Huckleberry Finn. I have to remind myself that I'm gunna have to find an easier book to read. I have to end this Author's Note here, as I'm waiting for my mom to be done correcting stuff, so, UnTil Next Time, NerdyGuRu2. And Don't Forget To Review!


	18. On The Subject of College

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter Seventeen: On The Subject of College…

On Friday mid-afternoon around 4:30, on the last day of March, I was sitting with Alice on the couch in the living room at the Cullen's. Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were home for the weekend, and the three boys had just left to go get the pizza that we had ordered. Rosalie was somewhere upstairs. The Cullen's were planning on watching movies and ordering pizza, and they had invited me to join them. Carlisle and Esme were planning on seeing a movie in Port Angeles and then go to dinner.

After they left, Alice and I watched T.V., flipping through channels, pausing for a few minutes before going onto another one. We had finally settled on the Guinness World Record Cooking Show on the food network. I had been sub-consciously rubbing my belly ever since we had turned the Cooking Show on. It was then that I noticed that something was different.

I grinned. "Alice."

"Hmm?" she asked, turning to me.

I grabbed her hand and placed it on my stomach.

A smile slowly spread across her face when she realized what she was feeling. "Oh my gosh! You actually have a baby bump!" She began rubbing her hand up and down my stomach. "Wow. It almost noticeable, but it's still small for a normal sized baby bump at your stage."

I was now twelve weeks pregnant, meaning that I was now a little over two months along, and the bump on my stomach was now beginning to be just a tiny bit pregnant. Feeling tears come to my eyes, I said, "Yeah. I actually have proof now that the baby is still alive in there."

Alice laughed. "The baby was alive and you already had proof. And besides, I knew you were pregnant even when you told me that you were beginning to doubt you were really pregnant."

I chuckled. "Okay, now I believe that I am pregnant."

Again, Alice laughed. "There you go. As they always say, admitting it is the first step."

I laughed and rolled my eyes.

Rosalie walked into the living room just then and Alice waved her over. She came over and said, "Yeah?"

Alice pulled Rosalie's hand down to my stomach and grinned up at her. Rosalie's face was expressionless for a moment and then it slowly broke out into a smile. "Wow, Bella. You have a baby bump!"

And then Alice began to get really excited. "Now we'll get to go shopping!"

I groaned just as Edward, Jasper, and Emmett walked through the living room door. Once again, Alice waved her hand, meaning they had to come over. "Alice don't, I already feel awkward as it is, with people touching my stomach," I said, but Alice ignored me.

"Bella finally has a baby bump!" she said. I felt my face heat up with embarrassment.

Nevertheless, I was surrounded for the next minute and a half by two excited girls and three grinning boys, all of them placing a hand on my stomach. Luckily, I began to get claustrophobic.

So I had the extreme pleasure of saying, "Okay, now that you've all seen my stomach, I would highly appreciate it if you all would kindly take your hand off my stomach." I forced as much calmness as I could into my voice, and it seemed to make them get the picture.

Two weeks went by with nothing uneventful – how could it when one lived in the small, sleepy town of Forks, Washington? I was highly relieved that no one had figured out I was pregnant yet, because the small bump on my stomach was getting slightly bigger. Numerous times I had found my hand traveling to my stomach and rubbing it softly. Luckily, I never did that at school, but when I was at home, I rubbed my stomach lovingly and tenderly.

It was a rainy Sunday evening two weeks into April when Charlie broached upon me the subject of college. We were eating dinner and Charlie had been quieter than usual. I had been about to ask him why he was so quiet when he asked me, "Have you applied to any colleges lately?"

I nearly choked on my carrot I was eating. College? Why, oh why did he have to bring the subject of college up now? I hadn't applied to any colleges. Well, I had been planning on applying to some colleges in Washington, but when I found out about my baby…well, let's just say that I was thinking of…backing out on the idea of college. You didn't have to have a college education for being a mother did you?

"Uh, well…I was thinking about it…many weeks ago," I said, a little lamely if you asked me.

Charlie tilted his head to the side. "How many weeks ago?"

I looked down at my plate of mashed potatoes, peas, and carrots. "Um, when I moved here?"

"You're going to have to start applying, Bells. It's two weeks into April," Charlie said. "I'm pretty sure that there are a couple deadlines that haven't passed."

"Dad, I'm not planning on going to college anymore," I said, feeling the need to tell him straight out.

Charlie dropped his fork, which clattered to his plate and nearly fell off. "Why not?"

"I was about to start applying to colleges in Washington after I moved here to Forks. But then I realized I was going to be a mom. And by the time the baby is born, I would only be a couple months into my freshman year of college. I can't handle going to college and taking care of a newborn baby at the same time," I said, and I put another bite of mashed potatoes in my mouth.

"I'm sure that you'll figure out how to go to college and handle a baby at the same time. I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't be too difficult," Charlie said.

Without meaning to, I glared at Charlie. "Dad, I don't think I'm going to college anymore. I still have less than two months of high school left. I'll figure something out. People get by without going to college. Plus, I have no way to pay for college. I still have to figure out how to pay for the hospital bills and I don't even have a job."

Charlie looked down at his plate for a moment and then said, "But what are you going to do after you graduate high school?"

I sighed. That part I hadn't figured out yet. I still had a lot of planning and figuring out to do. "I don't know, dad. I haven't that out yet. I have a lot of planning and figuring out ahead of me."

After supper, Charlie had to go back into work for a night shift, leaving me alone in the house that night. He left, promising that he would be back before I left for school the next morning. After finishing the dishes, I wandered upstairs. Having nothing to do since I had finished my homework already, I sat down at my computer and turned it on. It was a while until the computer was connected, and I opened up the internet.

In the search box at the top of the screen, I typed in Forks Community College.

Ten minutes later I got a list for links to the website. Clicking on the first one, I saw – when it loaded, that was – that it was the official site for the college. I clicked on the link for classes they were going to be holding at the beginning of the school year. Even though I couldn't apply, I had decided that maybe taking a class in art wouldn't be too bad. Maybe I could open a bookstore or art store.

And that was when the little light bulb lit up.

That was it! I could open a bookstore! A person didn't have to go to college for that. They just had to take a class on how to run a business, right?

I scanned the page, and I was really glad to find that there was going to be business classes starting in the first week of September, twice a week. This was exciting! I had figured out what I was going to do for the rest of my life: own a shop!

Now that I had my career plan figured out… I still had lots more.

The next morning, I stood in front of my mirror. Once again, I was turned to the side, looking down at my stomach. It had grown slightly bigger than two weeks ago. There definitely was a baby growing inside me. I ran a hand over my stomach one last time, smiling, and then pulled on a sweater that was big enough to cover my small baby bump.

I looked at the clock and realized that my first class started in twenty minutes. Grabbing my bag, I hurried downstairs, shouting, "Bye, Dad!" behind me. When I got to school, I had two minutes to get to class. I slid into my seat just as the bell signaling people to get to class rung.

That afternoon, at about three o'clock, I was sitting on my bed doing homework when my phone started singing. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Alice. I flipped it open, but before I got the chance to say hello, Alice's voice cried out, "We got them!"

Her voice was excited sounding and it was shrill and squeaky. I pulled the phone away from my ear for a second before putting it back and saying, "Hello, Alice. Got what?"

"The letters!" Alice shrieked.

"What letters? I sort of need a little more details here," I said, and I could only guess what she was talking about, and I had a feeling that the guess was right.

"The letters! You know the ones that let you know!" Alice said.

"Okay…more details here," I said.

I heard Alice sigh excitedly on the other end. "Get your butt over here and we'll show you!"

"Who's we?" I asked, putting my notebook aside and getting up.

"Edward and I. We haven't opened them yet, and we're dying to. So get on over here!" Alice said. "I am not going to give you any details until you're here. Oh, and bring your homework as well. We can have a homework party!" She sounded way too excited. "

"Okay, okay, Alice. I'm going, I'm going, hold your horses," I said, getting my books together and putting my feet in my sneakers. "I'll be right there."

"Okay, bye! And bring yours as well!" Alice said and a click sounded on the phone, indicating that she had hung up. I flipped my phone shut and pulled my bag over my shoulder, chuckling.

I poked my head around the doorframe of the living room, where Charlie was watching a baseball game on T.V. "Charlie? I'm going over to the Cullen's for a while. I'll be home before supper."

Charlie turned his head to look at me, and nodded. "Okay. Have fun."

"Bye," I said as I walked out the door.

Twenty minutes later I drove into the Cullen's driveway. As I walked up to the door, it opened and Alice came rushing out and she hugged me very tightly. When she let me go two seconds later, she was jumping up and down excitedly and she had a big grin on her face.

"Alice, what has gotten you all excited?" I asked as she pulled me through the entry way and into the living room.

Alice sat me down on the couch next to Edward. She, along with Edward and Esme, had anxious looks on their faces. "Okay, I think I'm missing something. What letters?"

Edward pushed two piles of large envelopes to me. "The college letters."

"Oh," I said, picking up an envelope addressed to Alice. I saw that there were four envelopes in each pile. I had completely forgotten that Edward and Alice were still going to college. I made my voice sound happy, but I didn't think it worked.

However, they were all too immersed in excitement to notice my forced happiness.

"So did you bring yours?" Alice asked excitedly.

That was what she meant. The college letters. The letters that told you if you had been accepted or not. How was I going to tell them that I wasn't going to college anymore, but only take a class in business? "Um, well…I haven't gotten any yet," I said, trying my best to make it sound like I hadn't gotten any yet because I hadn't heard back from any college yet – which was basically true.

"Why not? You should have heard back from them by now," Edward said.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe they're busy? I mean, they are looking for students to accept, right?"

Alice looked at me a little suspiciously and then said, "You're probably right. Anyway, we have dubbed you the official opener of the college letters."

"What? Oh, you guys should do that; they're your letters, after all," I said.

"Nonsense!" said Esme, and she handed me a letter opener to me from across the coffee table. "Open them."

Edward and Alice nodded their heads enthusiastically. I sighed reluctantly and said, "Alright."

The first letter for both of them was from Dartmouth. I slit each open with the letter opener and then pulled each one out one by one. They had both gotten accepted. I put on my best smile and said, "You both got accepted into Dartmouth!" They all cheered and told me to hurry up the next one. I hurriedly went through the pile to get it over with. They both got accepted into Harvard and Syracuse. They were cheering with joy by the time I had told them they had gotten accepted in the latter.

But the next letters surprised me. They were both from Forks Community College. I felt my heart rip even more, as it had been doing the past twenty minutes I had been at the Island, opening the college acceptance letters.

"You both applied to the community college?" I asked.

Edward and Alice nodded.

"Oh," I said. I started to open the letters, but then I stopped and handed them to Edward and Alice. "You guys open them."

They reluctant opened them the rest of the way. After they read the first line of the letter, they both whooped with excitement. Edward swooped in and kissed me while Esme and Alice hugged each other and jumped up and down with excitement. They had done this every time I had said they had gotten accepted.

After they had all calmed down, Esme said that she was going to go make something to celebrate with and wandered off into the kitchen.

Unfortunately, Edward and Alice noticed the look on my face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said.

Alice rolled her eyes and sat down in front of me on the coffee table. "You know, acting should never be your choice of career, because you lie really badly."

I glared at her. "I know that. If you must know, I haven't applied to any colleges."

Alice and Edward looked at me, shocked looks on their faces. "Why not?"

I gave them both a look. "I was going to start applying to colleges when I moved here to Forks, but then I found out I was pregnant, so I knew that college was not going to be on my list of things to do."

"You can still go to college," Edward said.

I shook my head. "Not jiggling a newborn baby on my hip. I don't have a job, so there is no way I could even pay for college tuition. I have decided that I am just going to take a business class and that is it. You don't have to go to college to take a business class."

Edward put an arm around my shoulder. "That sounds wonderful. What are you planning to open?"

I grinned happily. "Either a bookstore or an art store. Not sure."

Alice grinned along with me and said, "That's awesome. We can all go to the same college!"

I lost my grin. "You're not going to the community college just because I'm staying behind, are you?"

Edward and Alice looked at each other. "Well, uh…yes?" Alice said, looking a little bit afraid that I would burst out in anger because of my elevated pregnancy hormones.

"Why?" I asked.

"We both applied after we found out you were pregnant. We figured that you probably weren't going to go to college so that you could take care of your child. So we thought that we would join you. That way, we can be here when you have the baby," Edward said, sounding like it was the most simple thought out plan.

I pulled out of his grasp, feeling my anger level rising. Surprisingly, my voice didn't yell as I said, "You guys are going to throw away a great college education just so that you could stay here with me?"

"It's not like that. We care about you. If we're four hours away like Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie are then we wouldn't be able to see you," Alice said.

I stood up from the couch and looked at them both. "How are you guys going to get the dream careers that you've wanted ever since elementary school if you go to a community college?"

"We can still get those dream careers, Bella," Edward said.

I sat back down on the couch next to Edward, sighing resignedly. "I guess. But I still don't want you guys to throw a perfectly good college education just because I'm pregnant."

Edward and Alice laughed.

"Don't worry, Bella. We want to stay here with you. College would be boring without you around," Alice said.

I smiled. "So you don't mind that I'm not going to college? Because I am pretty sure that Renee will flip out. Charlie didn't react much, but he was still a little disappointed."

"We don't mind. You're still going to be going to the community college with us. You and your little baby," Alice said, reaching forward and rubbing her hand on my belly. She began making baby noises at my stomach.

Edward and I just sat there, laughing at Alice.

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Author's Note: Hello! I am back! I have finally finished my book report for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and I decided to reward myself with writing another chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. Oh, by the way, the Guinness World Record Cooking show is real. I don't think it's shown too often, because I don't have cable. I watched it one time when me and my family went to my Aunt's wedding, and we had to stay overnight in a hotel. I must say that I have never seen anyone make over three hundred pancakes in the grilling heat of Florida in less than an hour.

Next chapter should be up soon, remember to review on your way out! Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2


	19. Secret Revealed

Chapter Eighteen: Secret Revealed

The month of April passed by smoothly. I was a little over three months along now, and my stomach was now noticeably bigger. It was still small, but you could definitely see that I had a baby bump. Alice and Esme, along with the rest of the Cullen family, were excited about the coming addition to the world. Even Jasper and – more surprisingly – Rosalie, which I found incredibly sweet.

I had begun to wear baggy sweaters to school, so I could hide my baby bump. Alice had been unimpressed with that and told me that we were in desperate need of maternity clothes shopping. That time, I could only agree with her – I had just begun to put on pregnancy weight and my clothes were beginning to feel just a little bit tight.

I was slowly getting over my morning sickness stage – it was only in the mornings now and I was – thankfully – not sensitive to every existing smell. I hadn't begun to have cravings yet, and I was wondering what interesting combinations of foods I would crave!

It was a Saturday at the end of April when Alice was taking me shopping for clothes. I swear she was going to bounce right through the roof of the car she was so excited. I honestly didn't know how anyone could get so excited about shopping for maternity clothes. When I said this to her as I got into Edward silver Volvo, she only laughed and said, "Bella, it's so much fun buying clothes, and I expect it's going to be even more fun buying _maternity_ clothes."

"Only you, Alice, only you," I said, rolling my eyes.

Alice had somehow managed to convince Edward to join us in this little shopping trip of ours. When I asked him if Alice had to tie him to a chair and force him to come along, he merely grinned and shook his head, saying, "No, I wanted to come. I thought it would be interesting. And I offered to drive you guys." He smiled my favorite crooked smile at me, making my heart flutter.

We reached Port Angeles forty minutes later, thanks to Edward's fast driving.

"Good thing that you drive fast, Edward. Now we get to spend the whole day here," Alice said, bouncing in her steps as we walked to the entrance of the mall.

I glared at her. "Not the entire day, Alice. I swear that if you drag me around the mall for ten hours, I will have this baby haunt you in your dreams for tiring it out."

Alice giggled and linked her arm through mine. "Oh, come on, Bella. The baby is not going to get tired out. It's just lying in your stomach in a sac of fluid. It could probably rest anytime it wanted to. Right, Edward?" She turned to Edward.

"She's right. But I have to agree with you, Bella," he said.

I grinned and said to Alice, "See?"

Alice rolled her eyes, smiling. We were entering the mall now and I could see her eyes light up in excitement. She let go of my arm and walked to one of the stores, looking like she was floating on clouds – which she probably was at the moment.

Turning to Edward, I said, "I think that Alice's happy place is made up of shopping malls."

Edward laughed and put his arm around me. "I think your right. My happy place has always been consisted of you and popcorn. Now it has an addition to it."

As we walked, I looked up at him and asked, "And what would that addition be?"

He smiled my favorite crooked smile and said, "You, popcorn, and the little person growing inside you."

I smiled at him and leaned my head against his shoulders before lifting it back up and saying, "Thank you."

He chuckled and asked, "What would your happy place consist of?"

"My happy place would be filled with books, a pillow, you, and my little son or daughter that is officially mine," I said, subconsciously placing a hand on my stomach.

Edward laughed just as Alice came running over to us saying, "C'mon, you guys! You're wasting the whole day walking at a turtle's pace." She began pulling us toward a store. I hadn't realized how slow Edward and I had been walking.

"Alice, slow down. It's only quarter to eleven. We have the whole day ahead of us," I said. "That is, if I last the whole day walking around this place."

Alice only grinned.

Edward and I spent the next hour and a half being pulled around by Alice into two different maternity clothing stores. Well, actually, I was pulled by Alice; Edward merely just came along, obviously enjoying himself for some reason unknown to me. When I asked him why, he smiled and said that enjoyed saving me from the wrath of Shopping Alice. I merely rolled my eyes and kissed him on the cheek.

I had managed to persuade Alice that she could only take me to the maternity clothes stores, not to any other stores that involved babies. And thankfully, there were only five stores in the store!

"But why can't we get anything for the baby yet?" Alice asked, obviously dying to get stuff for the baby. "Wouldn't it be fun to be buy little clothes for the baby? Little booties, it would be so cute!"

Edward laughed.

We were making our way to an empty table in the mall food court with lunch. Currently, we had only three bags full of clothes, but I could tell that we were going to have more by the time we were done with the afternoon.

I rolled my eyes as I sat down next to Edward, Alice across the table from us. "Because, Alice. I sort of wanted to wait to buy stuff for the baby when I know what the baby is going to be. There's no sense in buying clothes for a baby when you don't know what it's going to be yet."

Alice tilted her head to the side and stared off into space, thinking about it. A few seconds later she said, "I guess you're right. I can't wait to find out what it is. Then we can start discussing names for the baby."

"What do you want it to be, Edward?" I asked as I took a sip of my water.

He shrugged and took a bite of his food. When he swallowed, he said, "I think it that it will be a boy. But if it is a girl, I hope that it will look just like you."

I felt a blush creep up into my cheeks. "Alice?"

She grinned, taking a bite of her food. "I think it will be a girl. What about you, Bella? What do you think you're having?"

I, too, shrugged my shoulders. "Well, I'm kind of hoping for a girl."

"Why not a boy?" Edward asked, taking another bite of his food.

I shrugged my shoulders again, taking a bite of my hamburger. We had all decided on McDonalds, and it was the cheapest place in the food court. The real reason why I didn't want a boy was because I didn't think that I could handle it if I was having a boy. The kid would probably look like his father, and I didn't want to be reminded of what happened, or who the real father was.

"We'll be able to find out the sex of the baby at the next appointment, which is when?" Alice asked me, putting a fry in her mouth.

"Two and a half weeks before we graduate," I said, taking a sip of my water.

Alice squealed, clapping her hands in excitement. "It'll be like an early graduation present: finding out what you're having!" Edward and I laughed.

"Hey, guys!" said a familiar voice.

We looked up to see Angela Webber standing there, a smile on her face, holding a tray of Wendy's food. She was one of the girls at school who was kind and didn't gossip about the latest news. She had always been kind to us, and we all had always considered her a friend. She also had a confused look on her face, which she quickly wiped away.

"Hello Angela. Are you here by yourself?" Alice asked.

"Uh, no. Jessica and Lauren are here with me. I'm scouting out a table for us to sit at," she said. That was when she noticed the bags with the names of the maternity stores on them. "I don't mean to be rude, but why do you have bags with maternity clothes stores name on them?" We noticed that her voice was simply curious.

I could feel my face heat up with intense embarrassment, and I pushed the bags under the table with my foot.

Angela noticed this and asked, "Are you pregnant, Bella?" Her voice was a whisper, and I felt my face turn to an even deeper shade of red.

I could only manage to nod. I thought that if I spoke, I would burst into tears. Darn stupid pregnancy hormones.

"How far along are you?" Angela asked, pure curiosity and kindness in her voice.

"Almost four months," I said, my quiet, but not enough for it to be a whisper.

All of a sudden, we could see Lauren and Jessica coming toward the table.

"Come on, Angela. Let's go eat, we're starving." Jessica's voice became slightly louder as the two girls approached. "Oh hey Bella, Alice. Edward."

"Come on," Jessica repeated, and walked with Lauren to a table on the other end of the court.

Angela turned back to us. "See you guys at school. I'm pretty sure that you want to keep it a secret, so I promise that I won't tell anyone. Congratulations, Bella." With that, she left with a wave and a full-hearted smile. She had really meant the congratulations. I felt really touched by that.

When Angela disappeared from sight, I sat back in my seat, crossing my arms over my stomach, as if I knew every single person in the food court and that they would blab about me being pregnant to everyone at Forks High. "I guess the cat's now out of the bag."

Edward put an arm around my shoulder and Alice said, "Angela won't tell anyone. She's pretty good at keeping her word."

When we finished our lunches, we picked up our trash and threw it away in a trash can. As we walked along, Alice debated where we should go next. It was almost one in the afternoon, and my feet were beginning to hurt from the walking.

We walked through the mall, looking out for maternity clothing stores. Well, basically Alice and Edward looked; I was just walking along with them. At the end of an hour and a half, we had added two more bags. We had clothes big enough for all sizes of my stomach: jeans, shirts, and underclothes. Edward conveniently waited outside the store when we got the underclothes, which I was eternally grateful for. I came out of the store with Alice with a beet red face.

My feet were beginning to kill me, and I was beginning to get tired after walking through the mall and trying on clothes that were still too big for me. When I had pointed this out to Alice, she giggled and said, "You'll grow into them, Bella." I only rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to get _that_ huge was I? I certainly hoped not.

It was three o'clock when I managed to convince Alice that five bags of clothing were good enough for me. And then Edward, bless him, said that we should be getting back to Forks. Thankfully, we hadn't run into Jessica, Lauren, and Angela.

An hour later, I was waving good-bye to Edward and Alice as they pulled out of the driveway. I brought the bags upstairs to my room. Alice had told me that she was paying for the clothes, but I had managed to convince her that I had to at least contribute to paying. She had reluctantly agreed.

Kicking off my shoes, I collapsed on my bed, feeling the comfortableness wash over me. A mattress had never felt so good in my entire life.

I was just falling into a nice nap when it was interrupted by my phone ringing. It turned out to be Charlie, calling to say that he was going to bring home a pizza so that I didn't have to cook. After we hung up a few minutes later, I closed my eyes, glad that I could sleep until he came home with supper.

The next afternoon, I was sitting on the Cullen's sofa with Edward and Alice. We had baked chocolate chip cookies and then settled down in the living room with them and a movie. We had been very careful in trying to pick a movie that sounded goo and be a movie that I would cry at. We had ended up picking _The Holiday_. Unfortunately, to my embarrassment, I cried at the beginning when one of the main characters broke up with her boyfriend.

Near the end of the movie, I felt it. It had been a slight flutter, as it had been for the past couple weeks, but this time, I felt a slight kick. I grabbed Edward's hand and he turned his head to look at me with a worried expression on his face. I grinned as another kick came, and I pulled Edward's hand to the place where I had felt it.

Edward looked confused for a several seconds before I felt the kick again and the he grinned as well.

Alice turned her attention away from the movie and asked, "What's wrong?"

Conveniently, I had been sitting in between them, and I pulled her hand to the place as well. Her face broke out into a grin.

"The baby's kicking!" I said, grin still on my face. "There were just these slight flutters, but now it actually is kicking."

The baby kicked again and Edward's and Alice's faces both broke out into even larger grins.

"That's some strong kicker you have in there. Maybe the baby will be into soccer," Edward said, hand still on my belly.

I grimaced. "Nah, I have a feeling the baby is going to develop my klutziness. Isn't that right, baby?" I spoke my last sentence to my stomach.

Edward and Alice laughed and the spent the next few minutes talking to my stomach, while I just sat there, laughing. It was an odd sight to see, Edward talking to my stomach, but I quickly got used to it. He was my boyfriend, and I knew that he loved me as much as he did the small person in my stomach.

And I loved him back just as much I did with my child.

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Author's Note: Aww, wasn't that cute? Bella's baby kicked for the first time! I couldn't resist making Edward talk to the baby, it was just too cute of an idea to pass up. So finally someone knows that Bella is pregnant. Were you surprised at who found out? I decided that I would be too mean if it was Jessica that found out, and Angela is a sweet girl, so I chose her over Jessica and Lauren.

Next Chapter: Bella finds out what she is having! I, personally, can't wait to write Alice's reaction and Charlie's reaction. They will be so fun to write! Hmmm, I wonder what Edward's reaction will be... does evil smile Just joking. I already know what his reaction will be. The next chapter should be up soon, but I don't know when. It should be up somewhere in the next few days. Remember to review on your way out! Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2

P.S.- Just randome question: Has anyone seen Batman Begins with Christian Bale? I just finished watching it and it was AWESOME! The sequal is coming out on July 18 of this year, and me and my best friend can't wait for it to come out. - End Random Question -


	20. Box of Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

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Chapter Nineteen: Box Of Memories

It was a Friday afternoon, after school let out for the weekend, two and a half weeks before we graduated. Our last day of high school was coming up fast, and Edward, Alice, and I were beginning to feel jubilant about finishing high school. The only downer of this jubilant feeling was that they had four years of college ahead of them – well, Edward had eight years ahead of him, as he was planning on becoming a doctor – while I, the pregnant eighteen year old, was going to become a mother in five months.

Another up of high school was that Angela had kept her word, and hadn't told anyone else that I was pregnant. Alice, Edward, and I were grateful for that, but that didn't keep Alice from whispering baby names to me at school.

Edward and I were currently sitting in the examination room at Forks General Hospital, waiting for Carlisle to come. It was my four month check-up, the check up where I was going to find out what I was having. Alice was super excited about this and I could tell that she wanted to start planning the minute she found out what I was having.

Edward and I were planning on going back to my house with a movie and watch it together after the appointment – our own idea of celebrating upon finding out what I was having. I could tell that he was excited about finding out, and I thought it was cute that he wanted to know about a child that wasn't even his.

There was a knock on the door and Carlisle came into the room then, pulling an ultrasound machine in behind him. "Hello, Bella, Edward."

"Hello," I said.

Carlisle sat down on the rolling stool. "So, Bella. How are things? Everything normal?"

I nodded, saying, "Everything is normal. The sickness stopped last week, and the baby has started to kick. And I have to say that it feels really weird. And I've been crying at the most stupidest things. Like when I was watching the baseball game with Charlie last night." Carlisle chuckled and Edward began to snicker, which meant that he was trying not to burst out in laughter.

"I'm pretty sure that it does feel weird," Carlisle said. "Alright, are you ready to find out what you're having?"

I nodded my head again. I couldn't wait to find out. And I had a pretty good feeling that Carlisle was excited about this as well. Which I found slightly weird: he was my doctor. But then again, he was also the father of my best friend and my boyfriend.

Carlisle instructed me to lie back on the bed and lift up my shirt to my chest so that my stomach was exposed. I felt my face blush red as I did this. Edward, however, didn't look that least bit embarrassed. Instead, he had an amused expression on his face, and he was grinning.

As Carlisle hooked the machine up, I glared at Edward, my blush going even deeper. "And what is so amusing, Edward?"

"Nothing, dear Bella," he said, though his grin got even wider, and the crookedness that always appeared came to his face, and I knew that he was trying to dazzle me.

I tried to stay mad at him, but his dazzling made me roll my eyes, smiling. Carlisle applied the cool gel onto my belly, which was now slightly bigger than what it was after that shopping trip with Alice. The baby had been kicking, and it unfortunately was kicking in the same spot on the side on my stomach. Luckily, it only kicked a couple times a day, but I knew that it would probably keep me awake at night as I got nearer to my due date, which I was going find out.

Carlisle began moving the Doppler stick around my tummy. The three of us looked at the ultrasound machine, and there, in a mixture of gray and black was my baby. It had grown since my three month checkup, but it was still small. It was visible and almost had the shape of a human being.

"Hey, Carlisle, why is it so tiny?" Edward asked. I looked up at him before looking back at the screen where my baby was shown. His eyes were glued to the screen, and his eyes held…love.

Carlisle looked at him briefly before looking back at the screen. "The baby is growing at the normal rate of a baby, but it's small because it probably has inherited Bella's smallness. I have no doubt that when she's older, she'll have a small frame."

To my embarrassment, I felt tears come to my eyes as I looked at the screen. A little baby girl. I was having a girl! From what I could see on the screen, she was sucking on her tiny thumb.

"Congratulations, Bella," Carlisle said.

Smiling, I said, "I'm having a girl."

"Alice is going to be thrilled," Edward said, and I could hear the grin on his voice.

Carlisle chuckled, nodding. "As will Esme. Edward, looks like us and Emmett lost the bet."

I looked at Carlisle, a look of shock on my face. "What bet?"

Edward and Carlisle began laughing. "Well, Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and I made a bet last weekend. Jasper just got fifteen bucks richer," Carlisle explained.

"You placed a bet on my child?" I asked, appalled that one would do such a thing.

Edward and Carlisle grinned sheepishly at me. "Well, Jasper thought it was going to be a girl. Emmett, Carlisle and I betted that it was going to be a boy," Edward explained.

I shook my head, rolling my eyes, muttering, "Boys and their stupid bets."

This only caused Edward and Carlisle to start laughing again.

Twenty minutes later, after I had scheduled another appointment for next month, Edward and I walked toward the exit of the hospital. Edward was looking at the ultrasound photos that Carlisle had printed off.

"I think she has your nose, Bella," Edward said. He gave them to me and pointed to my daughter's nose. I squinted and tilted my head. You could kind of tell, but it was slightly covered with her hand.

"I guess. Her nose is partially covered by her hand," I said. We were coming up to Edward's car then, and I put the two photos into the pocket of my sweater.

Just as I was about to open the passenger door to get in, I felt Edward turn me and lean me against the car. He leaned in and placed his lips on mine, and I melted into the kiss. I couldn't help it. "Edward, we're in the middle of a hospital parking lot," I said when we broke away a couple minutes later.

Edward grinned maniacally as he opened the passenger door for me. "Milady?" he said, and I couldn't help but giggle and get in the car.

When he got into the car on the other side, he pulled me to him and kissed me again. "I resisted the urge to do that when Carlisle first said it was a girl."

I laughed. "It was probably a good thing you did resist that urge because I would have killed you if you had done that with Carlisle in the room. Actually, I would have died from embarrassment and then come back from the dead and kill you."

He laughed as he started the Volvo.

We arrived back at my house twenty minutes later, after stopping at the video rental store and the supermarket to get chocolate ice cream. For some reason, I had been craving that ice cream ever since Edward and I got to the hospital.

We cuddled up on the couch together, each with a small pint of ice cream, and I pressed play on the remote. We had picked out Batman Begins. Neither of us had seen it, and it was most likely a movie I wouldn't cry at. Unfortunately, to my embarrassment and Edward's high amusement, I did cry at the part where Bruce Wayne's parents died.

For the first hour of the movie, we sat there, enjoying each other's company. I was curled up, as best as I could with my stomach, against Edward's chest. His arm was wrapped around my shoulder, and his legs were on top of the old coffee table that was in the living room.

"Do you know how much I love you?" Edward asked. I looked up at him, shaking my head, though I had a pretty good idea how much. "I've loved you since we started kindergarten. But my love for you has grown since I found out about your pregnancy. When I saw the baby for the first time this afternoon, it became equal with my love for you."

I felt tears come to my eyes at his words. I loved him the same way. My love for him was equal with the love I had for my daughter. "I love you, too, Edward. Just as much as I love my daughter."

Edward pulled my face up to his and placed his warm lips on mine. When we broke away, I remembered. "Stay here, I'll be right back." I got up from the couch out of Edward's warm embrace and went upstairs to my room. In my closet, I had discovered a loose floorboard and in this loose floorboard was my box of memories.

I pulled it out and brought it back downstairs. Sitting back down on the couch next to Edward, I placed the box on my lap.

"What's that?" Edward asked, eyes filling with curiosity.

"This is my box of memories. The things in here are things from when we were younger," I said. I opened the box. The box wasn't that big and there were only a few pieces of paper, a ball of string, a rubber ducky, and a small round thing. I pulled out the few pieces of paper and read the first one aloud. "Dear Bella. I hope you feel better soon. School's very awfully, extremely dull without you. Edward."

Edward blushed. "You actually kept that?"

I nodded grinning. "It was from that time I had that wicked cold back in first grade. You had the worst grammar in the history of first grade. It's the first thing that I placed in here."

Edward blushed. "I still can't believe you kept that. What's on the other pieces of paper?"

We read through the pieces of paper. They were mostly notes that he had written me during class, which I found amusing. Completely distracted from the movie, we looked through the box. The ball of string was from the time when Edward, Jasper, and Emmett had decided the tie me to the hammock I was lying in on one of those rare sunny days we had here.

"You got so mad at us, if I remember correctly," Edward said. "Now what is that rubber ducky from? I really don't remember what hap –" He cut himself off as he remembered.

I laughed. "We were eight years old. Do you remember that all of us put a play on for Carlisle and Esme? It included a rubber duck."

Edward blushed again. "Yeah, I really don't remember what happened. And besides, I don't like to remember what happened."

"I'll tell you anyway. You had the part of being the voice of the duck, and you had to make you voice all squeaky sounding, and you had to quack like a duck. You seriously don't remember? You were so embarrassed. I think Carlisle and Esme taped that."

Horror crossed Edward's face. "They had better not have."

I began laughing at the look on his face. "I'm pretty sure that they still have it, too." I put the duck back in the box and pulled out a miniature box. I handed it to Edward, indicating him to open it.

Edward pulled out a ring. It was the ring that he had gotten from a change thing at the grocery store, and then proposed to me with it back when we were in first grade. He blushed. "You kept this ring?"

I nodded. "Even though I was so mad at you, I thought it was really sweet."

Edward pulled me against his chest again and we sat there in the same position that we had been in.

And then a question popped into my head. "Hey, Edward?"

"Yes, Bella?" he asked.

"How do you feel about me being pregnant? I mean, the truth of what you feel about me being pregnant with another man's baby?" I said.

Edward was silent for a second before saying, "I don't know how to explain it. I love you, and the baby that you're carrying inside you at this moment. I hate what happened to you, and I'm glad that man is behind bars."

I pulled away from him so I could look at him properly. "You don't mind that I'm pregnant than?"

"I don't mind that you're pregnant. I think it's a gift from God. It helped us both realize our true feelings for each other, and it both made us get up enough courage to tell each other what we felt about each other," Edward said.

I giggled. "I guess I was being a little bit of a chicken when it came to telling you how I felt about you. And I guess I was being a huge chicken about telling you about the baby. I was scared that you would never speak to me again."

"Bella, I never would have done that. When I first found out, I was shocked, angry, confused, happy, and sad all at the same time. I thought, 'How could she do this to us and her family? How could she come and get pregnant?' But then I came to my senses after a lot of thinking, and I felt this feeling in my chest. It took me a couple days to realize that it was love for you, and that was when I had hopped into my car and came over here to apologize."

Tears were beginning to run down my face. "I'm so sorry, Edward."

"For what?" he asked.

"For all the pain that I caused you by not telling you. I know now that it was a mistake in waiting to tell you, and –" Edward cut me off.

"Bella, Bella. You don't have to apologize for anything," Edward said. "Just let me say this. I love you, and that love for you is so strong that nothing will be able to come between it. I swear on my heart that I will never let any harm come to you or the baby. If the guy comes for you, he will pay for what he did to you. You can count on that. He will pay if he ever comes after you."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning my head on his shoulder. "I know you will."

Edward put his arms around me, and we stayed like that until we noticed a few minutes later that we had completely lost track in the movie and rewound it to the part where we left off.

I knew that he would always be there for me, along with the rest of the Cullen family. I knew that he would do anything in his power to protect me. And I knew then that our love was so strong at that point, that James Andrew Stuartson would never be able to break through it. But why, then, did I have this bad feeling buried in the pit of my stomach?

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Author's Note: So? What did you think? I managed to update another chapter!!

I hope you all enjoyed a Bella and Edward moment. I decided that now was the perfect time to have just a Bella and Edward chapter, with no one in it besides them. Well, Carlisle was an exception: he sort of had to tell Bella what she was having. Oh, on that note. I decided to give Bella a girl because if it was a boy, it would look like his father, and I knew that it would be too painful for Bella if she had a boy. So I chose a girl, because I like baby girls: They are SO CUTE!

Next chapter won't be up today, because I still have my homework to do. I basically wrote this chapter because I was avoiding homework, but now I really have to get my homework done if I plan to be free completely tomorrow afternoon. So, Until Next Time! Caio! NerdyGuRu2 (Oh, by the way, I'm not Italian, I'm just learning the language.)


	21. My Daughter, Elizabeth

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, just this plotline.

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Chapter Twenty: My Daughter, Elizabeth

The next morning, I was awoken at some ungodly hour of the morning by "Good morning Good morning" by the Beatles. That was the song Edward had set as the ringtone to Alice's cell, his cell, and the Cullen's home phone. Without lifting my head, I felt around my beside table to find my phone. In the process, I accidently knocked my alarm clock to the floor. Highly annoyed, I flipped it open, not opening my eyes, nor bothering to look at the caller I.D.

"What?" I asked, my voice coming out grumpy.

"Good-morning, Bella!" came Alice's too cheerful voice from the other end of the line. "Don't we sound grumpy this morning."

"Well, considering that I was just woken up by a Beatles song that Edward made the ring tone for every person in my contacts list yesterday afternoon, yes, I am grumpy. What time is it anyway? I kind of knocked the alarm clock to the floor feeling for the phone." I sat up and ran a hand through my hair, opening my eyes. I rubbed my hand across my eyes to get rid of the sleepiness. I heard Alice laugh.

"Ten o'clock. So how did the appointment go yesterday? You guys never called to tell me, and Edward certainly didn't tell me," Alice said, and I could hear the evident excitement in her voice. "Want to come over for lunch?" Her voice was now squealing with excitement, and I could hear Edward's laughter in the background. I rolled my eyes. "Esme's making her famous Chili and bread."

"Oh, calm down, Alice. You'll find out soon enough. Uh, yeah, I'll be there," I said. I had barely gotten the words out of my mouth before Alice squealed, "You have got to bring the pictures."

I sighed and rolled my eyes as I heard Edward laugh once again in the background. Pulling myself up off the bed, I headed to my dresser and pulled out a shirt and a pair jeans that would be able to fit. "I'm going to bring the pictures, Alice, don't worry. I know how excited you are about finding out."

"You bet I am. Be here in an hour. Did you hear that Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle lost the bet?" she asked, and she giggled.

"Yes, I did. I unfortunately found out that Charlie and Renee made a bet as well. Why does everybody insist on betting on the gender of a baby?" I asked, heading to the bathroom.

"No clue. But you'll be happy to know that Rosalie, Esme, and I didn't join in on the bet," Alice said.

"Yeah, I figured. I'd better go. I'll be there in an hour," I said.

"Alright. See you!" Alice said. Chirpiness was added to her voice.

"Bye!" I said.

An hour later, I drove into the Cullen's hidden driveway. Pulling it into a good parking space, I could see Alice sitting on the cushioned whicker couch on the roofed porch, Jasper next to her. From what I could tell, she was trying to contain her bubbly excitement as best she could.

I managed to make it to the steps of the house before she came barreling toward me, engulfing me in a huge hug. Behind her, Jasper chuckled. "Do you know what it is yet? Edward didn't say anything about yesterday afternoon," Alice said, squeezing me the best she could without injuring my stomach.

"First off, Alice, you're squeezing me a little too hard. Second, if you get off me, I might be able to breathe a lot more so that I could talk," I said. My voice sounded like I was holding my breath, which I wasn't; I was getting the air squeezed out of me.

"Come on, Alice. Let the poor girl breathe," Jasper said, getting up from the cushioned whicker couch. "Hey, Bella. How are you feeling?"

Alice let go of me and I was able to breathe a little better. "I'm feeling perfectly fine. How are you?"

"Same," Jasper shrugged, smiling. His eyes traveled down to my stomach, which was showing just a little bit, even though it was covered with a sweater. I felt my face blush with slight embarrassment. I was still getting used to the Cullen's looking down at my stomach.

"What is it?" Alice asked, and I could tell that she was dying to know, just as Edward said she would. I decided make her wait just a little bit longer.

I rolled my eyes. "Hold your horses, Alice. You're going to find out soon enough."

Alice pulled me inside the house. Jasper, who still had a wide smile on his face, followed.

Immediately after stepping in to the Cullen household, I was bombarded with a huge hug. As usual, all light was blocked out, and I knew that it was Emmett that was hugging me.

"Hey, incubator," he said, and let me go.

I looked at him. "Incubator?" I asked. Since when did he come up with that nickname?

Emmett grinned. "It's my new nickname for you. You are, technically, an incubator."

Alice and I glared at him. Emmett's grin fell from his face as Jasper smacked him playfully in the arm. "What'd I say?" he asked.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Don't call her an incubator." And then, after a second of thinking, said, "Though, on second thought, she is basically an incubator, being pregnant."

And that was when he and Emmett immersed themselves into a conversation on what it must be like to be an incubator for a baby. Rolling our eyes, Alice and I headed into the kitchen, where I could smell Esme's fabulous cooking.

Esme looked up from her cookbook, which was perched on the end of the Island, as we entered, her warm, welcoming smile on her face. "Hello, Bella. How are you feeling?" She came around the Island and engulfed me in a hug. When she broke away, she and Alice both placed their hand on my stomach.

"I have a feeling I know what it is," Alice said. Beside her, Esme nodded.

I rolled my eyes, nodding.

And then Alice started bouncing up and down excitedly. "Did you bring the photos, Bella?"

I sighed, nodding. Alice squealed and went to sit on one of the stools at the Island. "What did she have to eat for breakfast this morning?" I asked Esme as I sat down next to Alice. She giggled.

"Cereal," she said.

I took the photo out of the purse that I rarely used and laid it on the Island top. I had convinced Edward the night before to take one of the photos, to which he sheepishly told me that he had wanted to take one home with him. He took it with him, promising that he wouldn't say anything to anyone back at home.

Alice and Esme leaned over the picture and starting cooing and 'aww-ing'.

"That is so adorable! The baby is sucking her thumb. That is beyond adorable," Esme cooed.

"Come on, Bella. What's the gender? I'm dying to know!" Alice said.

Edward and Carlisle came into the kitchen just then.

"Did you know that Emmett and Jasper are standing in the hallway, debating whether or not Bella is an incubator?" Carlisle said, planting a kiss on Esme's cheek. "Oh hello, Bella."

"Hello," I said. Edward sat down next to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek as well.

Esme looked up at Carlisle, a shocked look on her face. "They're what?!"

"Debating whether or not Bella's an incubator. It's quite funny actually," Carlisle said, chuckling.

Edward, Alice, Esme, and I gave him a blank look. Carlisle's chuckling faltered and, scratching the back of his head, said, "Sorry."

We all burst out laughing at the expression on Carlisle's face – it was so innocent looking and guilty that couldn't help but laugh.

Jasper and Emmett entered the kitchen just then. Emmett reached across and picked the photo up and looked at it, Jasper looking over his shoulder.

"What's this?" Emmett asked. We all rolled our eyes and Jasper smacked him lightly on the back of the head. Rubbing his head, he turned the photo sideways and then back again. Finally, he managed to get it clicked into his head that it was an Ultrasound photo. "Oh, this is an ultrasound photo, isn't it? It's so cute, the way it's sucking on its hand."

All the guys laughed at Emmett's obliviousness and Alice, Esme, and I rolled our eyes, smiling. Emmett would always be Emmett – funny and a bit oblivious sometimes.

"What's the gender, Bella? We're all dying to know," Jasper said, and everybody turned to look at me with expectant eyes.

Great, I had to tell every single one of them. I had a feeling that my face was going to be bright red by the time I left the Cullen's house. I grinned and decided to play a little with their minds. "Well, what do you guys think?"

Carlisle and Edward began snickering; they knew what I was doing, and they obviously thought that it was hilarious, as they knew what I was having and the rest of them didn't.

Rosalie walked into the kitchen just as I was saying this and she, along with Alice, Jasper, and Esme said 'girl', while Emmett said 'boy.' After he said that, he looked around at everybody, blinking stupidly. He was surprised that a huge majority of the people in the kitchen had said, 'girl.'

I grinned again as Edward nudged me in the arm with his elbow. He was grinning as well, along with Carlisle; they knew that I was driving them all crazy on purpose. I then decided to not hold them in suspense any longer. "Alright. It's a girl."

Alice shrieked and hugged me tightly. Esme and Rosalie cheered happily and congratulated me, and Edward and Carlisle roared with laughter, unable to hold it in any longer. I didn't take offense, because I knew what they were laughing at. Emmett groaned and stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out five bucks. He handed it Jasper, who was grinning and holding out his hand.

Upon realizing that they had been in the bet as well, Carlisle and Edward stopped laughing and, grumbling, they each handed Jasper five dollars as well.

"Congratulations, Bella. I knew all along that it was going to be a girl," Jasper said, smiling at me. "That's why I placed a bet."

While Esme gave Jasper a stern look, Alice and I rolled our eyes, mumbling, "Boys and their bets." Edward, Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett grinned sheepishly and Rosalie shook her head in disbelief.

"So, who won the bet, Bella?" Alice asked, turning to me. "Charlie or Renee?"

"Charlie won the bet. Renee owes him ten bucks the next time she sees him," I said, rolling our eyes.

Everybody – excluding Edward, who already knew this, and had started laughing – looked at me with shocked looks on their faces.

"Charlie and Renee placed a bet as well?" Carlisle asked.

I nodded. "Apparently they did." The whole kitchen, besides me, burst out laughing.

"Darn. If it was a boy, I would have suggested the name James for the first name and Andrew for the middle name," Emmett said after he had regained his breath. Everybody nodded their heads and agreed that it was a cute name for a baby.

Immediately, I felt all happiness wash out of me and it was replaced with anger. "Not that name. Even if it had been a boy, that name would have been off limits."

Everybody looked at me, looks of surprise on their faces.

"Why not? It's a really cute name," Esme said, turning to take the bread out of the oven.

I shrugged, looking down at my arms, which were folded on the Island table top to avoid the looks of Edward and Alice, who I knew were looking at me with suspicious looks. "I don't know. It's a slightly weird name for a baby."

Edward, catching on, said, "Well, at least we don't have to think about boy's names. We know it's a girl, so we can think of girl's names."

As we ate Esme's amazing Chili and bread, we found ourselves shooting out baby names. I avoided the conversation, though I did put my input on what I thought of a name, and I made a mental list of all the girl names that I liked.

The reason why I didn't want to name my child James, or any other name that related to that name, was because I didn't want to be reminded of how I became pregnant. I didn't want to be reminded of that night it happened, and I didn't want to be reminded, every time I looked at my child, who the father was.

I hadn't told anyone the name of the baby's father, because I didn't want them to know. Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie didn't know how I became pregnant, and I wanted it to stay that way.

"How about Jamie?" Esme asked me.

I looked up from my bowl of Chili and shrugged. "I guess. It's a cute name."

"Amy?" Rosalie suggested.

"Caitlin? Amanda?" Edward asked.

Jasper and Alice wrinkled their noses at those names, causing most of us to laugh. "What?" Edward asked. "They're adorable names."

"Yes, they are adorable, Edward, but not for a first name," I said.

"You could give them a nickname, like Mandy, or Katie, or Amy," Alice said.

"What the heck kind of names are those?" Emmett asked, putting a spoonful of Chili in his mouth.

Alice glared at him. "They're cute. And they are much better than the full names Edward suggested."

"How about…April?" Carlisle suggested. "I once had a cousin named April."

"Isn't that a month of the year?" Emmett asked.

We all laughed.

"Yes, Emmett, it is a month of the year," Esme said.

We spent the next half hour calling out names and talking and laughing at Emmett's obliviousness. After lunch ended, I figured that I should be heading back home.

Edward walked with me out to the porch to say good-bye.

"What was that back there?" he asked. "When Emmett suggested the names James and Andrew."

I looked down at the floor of the porch and said, "Those are the names of the baby's father. James Andrew Stuartson. If the baby happened to be a boy, I would have avoided those names like the plague. I don't want to be reminded of who the father of the baby is. That's why I'm glad that it's a girl, because then I wouldn't exactly look at my child, and see a miniature version of him. I don't want to be reminded of what happened."

Sympathy flooded Edward's eyes. He began to say something, but I cut him off.

"I don't want any sympathy, Edward. I'm over it. You don't have to feel any sympathy for me," I said quietly, looking into his piercing green eyes.

Edward nodded. "Alright. I guess I can get you. I understand why you don't want to name your child that, if it was a boy, that is."

I nodded, looking down at the floor. "Bye. See you," I quietly said. I was turning around to walk down the porch steps, but Edward pulled on my arm and pulled me back to him. Grinning, he bent forward and kissed me. I easily melted into the kiss, just as I had done the day before in the hospital parking lot.

Unfortunately, I had to pull away a few seconds later because my still-unnamed daughter began kicking me. I began giggling and put Edward's hand on the spot where she had kicked.

Laughing, he bent down and patted my belly, saying. "Good-bye, little girly." I started laughing as my daughter started kicking again. Standing up, he said to me, smiling, "Good-bye."

"Bye," I said. Kissing him on the cheek, I turned and walked down the porch steps.

As I was driving home in my slow truck, I went through the mental list of names that I had made in my head. I didn't have to decide on a name right then, but I didn't want to just say 'my daughter' over and over again.

When I got home, I sat down at the kitchen table with a notepad and pen and wrote down all the names that I liked. After a few moments, I read through the list:

_Sara_

_Jamie_

_Melinda_

_Renee_

_Amy_

_April_

_Kristie_

_Amanda_

_Elizabeth_

_Lynn_

and _Ann_

As I read through it, my eyes kept on wandering back to Elizabeth. The name was really cute, and I liked it.

"Elizabeth," I whispered to myself, and my daughter kicked me, as if to say that she agreed with me about the name. "You like the name of Elizabeth, don't you?" I asked, rubbing my hand up and down on my extended stomach. Once again, she kicked as if to say she liked it.

I laughed. "I think you're name is going to be Elizabeth."

And that was the name I gave my daughter. Elizabeth Swan. It had a nice ring to it, and I liked all the nicknames you could do with the name Elizabeth. My daughter, Elizabeth Jamie Marie Swan.

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Author's Note: Isn't that a cute name? I love that name. I may name my own daughter that one day...if I ever do have a daughter. Ha, I'll just stick to this for now. So? How did you all like it? This chapter annoyed me at first, because it just wasn't right. Finally, I got it the way I wanted it and then I read through it again just now so that I could fix any mistakes (just so you know, I will be reading through the chapter after I write it to fix any mistakes there might be).

Next Chapter: Job Shopping! Ohh, this is going to be FUN! I had this scene in my mind all this morning, and I think it's perfect for Bella, and it goes well with I'm planning on doing if I do a sequal! The next chapter should be up soon, depending on how fast I can write the next chapter. I think I have no life, updating this story like five times a week. Seeing as I only started this like probably less than a month ago and I already have 21 chapters up so far I think I DO have a life. Anyway, Remember to Review! NerdyGuRu2 P.S. You guys are awesome!


	22. Wonderful Journey's Bookstore

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I just own the plotline of this particular story.

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Chapter Twenty-One: Wonderful Journey's Bookstore

A week later, mid-Saturday morning, I was in my room on my computer, finishing the last paragraph of the research paper that was due half a week before I graduated. I was leaning against my pillow that I had placed on it, as the hardness of the seat was beginning to get to my back, making it hurt. Being woken up early from the kicking of Elizabeth, I had decided to work on homework and had finished it all.

The paper was the last paper of my whole high school career, and it was counting as half my grade. I said the last line out loud as I typed it out. "…and that is why everybody loves the art and paintings of Leonardo da Vinci."

Finished, I let out a sigh of relief as I copy pasted onto another page the last of the works cited for the research paper. I sat back in my chair, rubbing my almost five-month pregnant belly. Elizabeth kicked in response, as if to say, "Good job, mom!" I smiled. I loved my little Elizabeth more and more each passing day.

I looked at the clock and noticed that it was only a little after 10:30. With all my other homework finished – we were beginning to get less and less of homework with each passing day leading up to graduation, which was spectacular – and nothing else to do except sit back and relax, I got up. After wobbling for a second, I found my balance and walked down to the kitchen.

As I was walking down the stairs, a knock came at the door. I walked down the rest of the stairs and opened the door to reveal Alice and Edward, both grinning like idiots.

"Hey, Bella," Alice said.

"Hello. What's up?" I asked, opening the door farther and standing aside to let them in. They obliged and stepped over the threshold.

"Nothing really. We had this really great idea that came to us as we sat on the couch this morning really bored. And we wanted to see if you wanted to join us in this little excursion of ours," Edward said, flashing his charming smile at me.

"And what would this 'excursion' be that you have in your minds?" I asked, turning and walking into the kitchen, Edward and Alice following. "Guys want something to drink?"

"Sure, water's fine," Alice said, and then she launched into the idea of their little 'excursion.' "Since we are graduating in, like, less than two weeks, and since it's going to be summer soon and we have nothing else better to do in our spare time, we thought that we would all get a job."

They both sat down at the kitchen table as I got three glasses from the cupboard and filled them with water. Handing them each their glass of water, I sat down with mine and said, "Jobs?"

"Yeah, summer jobs. Students in high school get them during the summer, to avoid boredom," Edward said. "We thought that you might want to join us in our job hunting today. We're only going to apply for jobs here in Forks, and then tomorrow we're going to apply for jobs in the next town over. Want to join?"

I thought for a moment. I could use the money and the job, so that I could pay for the business classes, not to mention the hospital bills for when Elizabeth was born. "I guess. I have nothing better to do this summer, and I sort of need the money."

"Yes!" Alice said and extended her hand to Edward, who groaned, pulled out a five dollar bill and handed it to Alice.

"I think I missed something," I said.

"Edward here didn't think that you would go for the whole job thing. He thought that you were going to relax and take it easy so as not to over exert yourself or the still un-named baby within you," Alice said, rolling her eyes at Edward.

I glared at him. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much, Edward. Seriously, I'm not _that_ fragile enough that I can't get a job."

Edward held up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry. Just trying to be helpful."

I rolled my eyes. "A job sounds like the perfect thing for me to do. Besides, I probably would die from not being able to do homework."

They rolled their eyes. "You, dearest Bella, really need to get out more," Alice said.

"Well, I sort of can't," I said.

"True. So, you ready to go job hunting?" Alice asked.

Twenty minutes later, we were standing in the main center of the town of Forks, ready to hunt for jobs.

"Alright. How about we all go off and look in the different stores and the places around and see if we can get any jobs and then meet back at The Lodge in an hour?" Alice said. Edward and I agreed, and we all set off in our different directions.

I found myself wandering to the three bookstores that were in town. The first two bookstores I asked for a job had said that they weren't hiring, but I was welcome to come back in a few years and try again. The third bookstore I went to, I had better luck with.

It was called _Wonderful Journey's Bookstore_. It was a quiet bookstore, and I figured that Edward would be happy if I managed to get a job that didn't require a lot of noisy and strenuous work. I had never been in the bookstore, but I had passed by it. From the outside, it looked exactly like my own shop that I had in mind when I opened one.

A little old lady was sitting at the desk reading a book when I entered. She looked up and smiled warmly. I was glad that I had decided to wear a baggy sweater like I always did when I went to school or went out of the house, because I was still a little scared about people seeing my baby bump. But she looked like a nice old lady who didn't like to gossip. There was no one in the store at the moment, and I was grateful for that.

"Hello, my dear," the old lady said as I walked up to the desk. "May I help you with something?"

"Hello. I was wondering if you were hiring anyone for a job here," I said, blushing a little.

The little old lady smiled again and said, "Why, I was looking about for someone to hire. My joints have starting to act up a little these days, and it's my old age that is keeping me from being able to do the things around this store. I'm Abigail Wilson. What's your name, my dear?"

Smiling, I held out my hand. "Isabella Swan, but I'm called Bella. It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, blushing.

"It's lovely to meet you, too. So, you are interested in a job, is that right?" Abigail asked. I nodded. "Well, you have come to the right place. The last person who was in here said that it was a little too dull working here."

"Oh, I wouldn't think that working in a bookstore would be dull. I'm basically a bookworm. For the past few months I've wanted to open a bookstore of my own. Figured that I should get a job in a bookstore to get experience," I said, blushing.

Abigail chuckled. "You look like a bookworm. Come with me and I will give you an application if you so wish to apply here." She got up stiffly and then motioned me to follow her.

She led me to a backroom that looked like an office. After motioning for me to sit down in the chair in front of the desk, she herself sat down behind the desk. Abigail rooted through a folder before she pulled a few papers out and handed them to me along with a pen. "Go on, dear, take off your coat. It's a little warm in here," she said.

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not I could trust her. Slowly I unzipped my baggy sweater and took it off, draping it over the back of the chair.

Abigail noticed my stomach, and a surprised look appeared on her face for a fraction of a second before disappearing. Then she smiled her warm smile. "When is she due?" she asked, handing me a pen.

I blushed. "Early, mid-October." I was a little surprised at the fact that she knew the gender of my baby. "How did you…?" I trailed off, taking the pen.

Abigail smiled. "From the shape of your stomach. Boys and girls are placed different when they are in the womb. Boys, up and down; girls, across the stomach."

"I never noticed that," I said, and, blushing and smiling, I began to fill out the application.

When I was finished fifteen minutes later, I handed it back to her. Abigail told me that she would look the application over then, so I could wait and stay if I wanted. I waited silently and patiently, sitting back in the chair and sub-consciously rubbing my stomach lovingly.

"Bella, I must say that, even though you don't have any references or no experience or anything, you seem perfect for the job. How old are you?" she asked, her voice kind and gentle.

"Eighteen," I said.

Abigail looked surprised, but her eyes remained kind and gentle. Who wouldn't be surprised at someone who got pregnant while still in high school? "How many days a week do you think you would be able to work?"

"Well, I'm graduating high school in less than two weeks. Whenever you would need me I guess," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

Abigail smiled. "How about you start work here the Monday after you graduate? Is that asking too much?" she asked.

"Oh, no. That isn't too much," I said.

"Let's say 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. Monday through Thursday. Is that alright?" Abigail asked, a sort of gleam in her eye that I couldn't quite make out.

"That's sounds great. Does that mean you're hiring me?" I asked, succeeding in making my voice sound normal and not eager, though I was bursting with eagerness inside.

Abigail laughed. "Of course. You seem like you could handle the job perfectly. You will be putting books onto shelves and managing the front desk at times. It is sometimes so quiet and just slow enough that you can kick back at the desk with a book a read while you wait for a customer. It's really quite enjoyable. You seem just the type of girl that I have been searching for: a girl that is willing to do her job and work hard at it. Am I correct?"

"Yes, you are. Thank you so much, Ms. Wilson. You won't regret. I won't let you down," I said, getting up as fast as I could without toppling over and shaking Abigail's hand.

"Oh, please, call me Abigail," she said. And then she placed her hand on my stomach and said, "Your daughter is very lucky, having such a brave young woman – who isn't afraid to do anything – like you for a mother. I have a feeling that you'll be a great mother."

Tears came to my eyes. "Thank you," I said.

She walked me back out to the door. "We'll go over the basics when you start working. I'm pretty sure that you'll get the gist of it soon enough."

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I needed this job," I said, and I wrapped my arms around her. After, I put my baggy sweater back on and said thank you again and good-bye before I turned and walked out the door, which tingled as I opened it.

When I arrived at The Lodge fifteen minutes later, I was out of breath slightly, and my feet were beginning to kill me. I looked around and saw that Edward and Alice hadn't arrived yet. I was still feeling jubilant as I sat down at an empty table to wait for them.

I had a job. And it was a job that I imagined myself doing for the rest of my life. Well, at least until I was able to open a bookstore of my own. It was also a job where it would be quiet and Edward would probably be pleased that I didn't have to do any strenuous work. Carlisle would be pleased as well – he had advised me that if I got a job, it couldn't be too strenuous. He had even recommended working at a quiet bookstore.

Alice and Edward arrived ten minutes after I did and they both spotted me out quickly. Both had jubilant looks on their faces, so I assumed that they had found a job that they liked.

"Hey, Bella. Any luck? Because we certainly did," Alice said excitedly.

The waiter came over to us just then and took our orders, so I didn't get the chance to tell them about my luck.

"You guys first," I said.

"I found this great job at a great clothing store here in town. I don't know how I never managed to go into that store before. It is incredible!" Alice said. "They were hiring and so I applied. They're getting back to me later this afternoon. Edward?"

Excitement gleamed in his eyes as he spoke. "I applied to a music store. They have great music selections and I would be working the check-out counter and putting albums in their correct places. It's a really cool job. They're going to get back to me later today as well."

Alice and I both knew how much he loved music: classical, rock, metal, etc. We both knew that it would be a perfect dream job for him. We both laughed. That sounded like Edward.

"What about you, Bella? Have any luck?" Alice asked.

"You know that bookstore, _Wonderful Journey's Bookstore_?" I asked. Both slowly nodded their heads. "I applied there. I figured that Edward would appreciate it because I would not be doing strenuous work. I would only be shelving books and manning the front desk from time to time. The lady who owns it, Abigail Wilson, is extremely nice. I start work the Monday after graduation."

"That's wonderful, Bella. That seems like a perfect job for you," Alice said. Edward nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" I said, taking a sip of the water.

"Why did she take you on right away?" Edward asked, taking a sip of his own drink.

"I don't know. It was strange, like she knew that I needed this job. I mean, the woman knew what I was having without even asking," I said. "Something about how the baby is placed in the stomach or something like that."

Alice looked impressed. "Wow, she must be pretty wise to know that without asking. I mean, you look like you're only four months, when you're really almost five months. And the average stomach is bigger than that."

I laughed.

We had ordered a large pizza with everything on it, and when it came, we sat there, laughing and having a good time, talking about the normal things teenagers talk about. I was feeling happy at that moment: I was going to be a mom, I now had a job, and I had two best friends who cared about me enough to give up college at a great school somewhere in Washington to stay behind with me. I had a boyfriend who loved me that I loved back just as much.

Life was good. But how long would it last?

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Author's Note: Hey everyone! Wow, I managed to write two chapters in two days! How did you like the chapter? I thought that Abigail was sweet, and yes, she does have a part in the plotline. I'll only say this: She will become a dear friend of Bella's in the coming months. Next Chapter: Graduation! That's all I'm saying.

I'm going to post this chapter in the morning. I sort of need to go to bed. Remember to Review and see you all next time! NerdyGuRu2 P.S. Credit goes to my sister for the naming of Miss Abigail Wilson, the owner of _Wonderful Journey's Bookstore_.


	23. Snip, Snip, So Long High School

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Author's Note: If you are wondering what is with the chapter title, I couldn't think of a title, so I asked my sister. She suggested 'Here Comes The Bride Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum.' The title of this chapter is all due to my sister. Remind me NEVER to ask her for chapter titles again, unless I am in dire needs to ask her. Enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter Twenty-two: Snip, Snip…So Long High School

"Doesn't it just feel…wonderful?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Hmm, yes it does," I said as I rooted through my closet for something that was nice looking. Finding a nice maternity cloth skirt that went a little past my knees, I backed out of the closet.

"I mean, we're about to go out into the real world and be free of term papers, essays, reading assignments, SAT's, blah, blah, blah. We're going to be free of everything having to do with high school!" Alice said. I could hear the immense excitement in her voice as she spoke. She was getting a little too excited about the whole graduation ceremony.

"Alice, we've been done with high school for like almost 24 hours," I said.

Alice giggled. "I know. But we haven't fully completed it until we receive our high school diploma."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Only you, Alice, would be jumping up and down until you bounced through the roof because of excitement for a simple graduation."

Alice giggled. "I know. I'm really excited about this. I mean, we're going to be done with high school! No more homework for three months! How exciting is that?" she asked. I could hear clothes hangers slide across a bar, and I knew she was looking through her huge walk-in closet. "What are you doing right now?"

"I'm trying to find a nice looking shirt to go with the cloth skirt," I said, rooting through my dresser drawers.

"You're wearing a cloth skirt to a graduation ceremony?" Alice asked, sounding slightly appalled.

I sighed. Looking at the clock, I saw that the ceremony started in thirty minutes, and I still had to get dressed and find a nice shirt to wear. "Alice, the ceremony starts in thirty minutes, and I still have to get dressed, seeing as I'm still wearing sweatpants."

"Alright, I'll let you go. See you there!"

The phone went dead and I pushed the off button, chuckling to myself. "Alice is silly, isn't she, Elizabeth?" I asked, rubbing my stomach. She kicked in response. I giggled.

After I found my royal blue blouse that Edward liked so much, I pulled the skirt and the shirt on as fast as I could.

Charlie knocked on the door just I as I pulling the shirt on. "Are you ready to go?" His voice sounded anxious, and I couldn't blame him. He hated to dress up for occasions, and this was one he definitely didn't want to dress up for. I hated to dress up as well, thinking that it was a waste of time – it would probably be _so_ much easier to just graduate in sweats; they were so much comfier.

"Yep," I said.

Knowing that I couldn't do anything with my hair, I pulled it up into a neat ponytail and pulled a lock of hair from each side to frame my face.

I opened my door to find Charlie leaning against the wall. He stood up when I came out, yellow robe over my arm. "You look nice," he said. That, coming from him, was a compliment.

"Thanks, dad," I said.

As stepped out of the cruiser into the school parking lot, I heard a voice call my name.

"Bella!"

I turned around, and saw Angela coming towards me. Her parents and her younger twin brothers were walking towards the area where the parents were to sit. Charlie gave me a hug, told me 'good-luck', and then went after them. "Hey, Angela."

Angela engulfed me in a hug. When she pulled away, she looked around her and, seeing no one was around, placed her hand on my stomach. "Wow, your stomach has grown a little since we saw each other at the mall."

I blushed, smiling. "Yes."

We began walking to the place where all the graduates were standing, waiting for the signal to begin walking.

"Are you excited?" Angela asked. "I mean, we are graduating high school. No more SAT's and essays and tests for another three months. And then it's off to college for us!" She shrugged into the yellow robe as she said this.

I had been covering my stomach with my yellow robe, and I quickly shrugged into it, so as to conceal my bump. We were fast approaching the group of students, and I didn't want anyone to notice. "I guess. I mean, you're almost done with school for the rest of your life. But, still. You have four years of college ahead of you."

"What about you? What are you doing for college?" Angela asked.

"I was thinking about just taking a business class to earn an associate's degree in owning a bookstore," I said.

Angela looked impressed. "Wow. You would be really great in owning a bookstore!"

"Thanks," I said, just as we heard Alice's excited voice calling us.

"Hey Bella, Angela. Isn't this exciting? I mean, besides the ugly graduation robes, this whole thing is exciting!" Alice said as she came up to us. Her and Edward were both wearing their yellow robes.

Edward laughed. "She was almost bouncing through the roof all this morning. Esme almost had to tie her down in a chair. Instead she told her to go upstairs and get ready before she _did_ bounce through the roof."

He wrapped an arm around me as I laughed. "I can imagine you doing that, Alice."

"What? I was really excited," Alice said, and began bouncing up and down in excitement. Her robes were bouncing up and down with her, making her look like a little baby chicken bouncing.

"Do you think we should put her in a large room and let her run off her excitement?" Edward whispered in my ear.

This made me begin laughing hard, though I managed to control my laughter a few seconds later. The principal walked up to the seniors just as I was getting my breath back, and ordered us to get into a line.

Edward kissed me on the cheek before heading over to the C's with Alice. Angela smiled and waved at me, heading to the W's. That left me to join the S's. Unfortunately, I got stuck next to Jessica Stanley.

"Isn't this exciting, Bella. I was so excited last night that I hopped everywhere I went. Even as I set the table for dinner last night. I was so excited I skipped everywhere!" Jessica said.

Jessica? Hopping? Skipping? Geez, it was just graduation for goodness sakes. But, on the other hand, we didn't have to go to high school anymore. I should have been excited because I didn't really have college to go to. Only two years of business school. And by then, I would have a two year old daughter to look after.

The graduation was bland and simple, and it went by surprisingly fast. The valedictorian, Eric Yorkie, sped through his speech, making run-on sentences and making his words a whole jumble that you could barely understand what he was saying. The principal had gone on for about half an hour about how the students graduating were heading into a big, new world where everything was new and different, and blah, blah, blah. The whole thing was like it had been rehearsed: everybody clapped as each person received their diploma.

I received my diploma, and everybody clapped. I smiled at the crowd as I hurried off the stage. I noticed that Charlie was sitting with the Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie. All were smiling broadly and they were possibly the loudest that were clapping, especially Emmett.

It was a blur after I walked off the platform with my diploma. All too soon, the principal was shouting into the microphone, "Congratulations, class of 2005!"

And then everybody stood and threw their caps up into the air, cheering loudly. I threw mine up rather half-heartedly. I just wanted to get out of there and into some comfy clothes and out of the stupid high heels, which were making my feet hurt.

I saw Edward and Alice coming forward, both grinning like maniacs.

"We did it! Finally!" Alice shouted, and pulled me into a hug, being careful with my stomach.

"Let her go, Alice, I think you're squishing her too hard," Edward laughed behind her.

"Yes, you are, Alice, you're making my stomach feel like it's supposed to squish flat again, which I can't wait for it to do," I said, my voice sounding like I was deflating.

"Sorry. I'm just so happy that it's over!" Alice said, letting me go.

Grateful, I pulled away, rubbing my stomach, hoping that Elizabeth wasn't squished in Alice's hug. Edward wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in for a kiss. At least he was careful with my stomach.

"Congratulations, Bella!" Charlie shouted over the din of cheering students. He came over to me and engulfed me in a hug.

"Thanks, dad," I said.

Esme and Carlisle came over and hugged Edward and Alice. I blushed when they both hugged me. Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie came up next, all congratulating Edward, Alice, and me.

"How does it feel to be out of high school? We sort of forgot," Emmett said as he hugged me.

I shrugged. "At least I can sleep in tomorrow morning. Or, at least try to."

Edward, Alice, and I spent the next ten minutes being congratulated by everyone: grandparents who we didn't know, parents of the kids we did know, and other seniors. By the time that was done, my feet were killing me. I couldn't wait to get home and settle back on the couch with a pint of chocolate ice cream, which I had been craving lately.

When we were driving out of the parking lot half hour later, I took off my shoes and robes and settled back into the seat, seat belt on. I pulled a foot up on the seat and began rubbing it, saying to Charlie that my feet were killing me.

"How about we stay home for dinner tonight? The Lodge is probably going to be packed to the hilt tonight with everyone. How about we order Chinese food and eat in?" he asked. I looked at him and saw that he looked like he would rather do that instead of eating an overly-crowded place.

"That's fine. I'm dying to go home and change back into sweatpants," I said.

Charlie laughed.

When we arrived home, I went into the kitchen where I took the phone book and looked up the number for the local Chinese food place. Luckily, they had a menu in the phone book. Charlie wrote down what he wanted and then went upstairs to change. After ordering, I went upstairs to change. I changed into the sweatpants and shirt that I had been wearing that morning. They felt so nice.

As I was hanging the yellow graduation robe up in my closet, my phone rang. I grabbed it from my bed and flipped it open, saying, "Hello?"

"Hey! It's Edward! What are you doing right now?" said Edward's voice.

"Nothing, at this particular moment. Charlie and I are ordering food and probably just relaxing for the rest of the evening. What are you doing?" I asked, sitting down on my bed.

"Esme's cooking supper. We decided that The Lodge would be way too crowded. Everybody goes there for special occasions. Doesn't it feel great to just sit back and relax and not have to worry about homework, and just hang out with family?" Edward asked.

"Yes, it does. Though, only Charlie's here. Renee and Phil couldn't make it from Florida. Something about not having enough time. Phil's been pretty busy with training, and he couldn't take time off, and Renee didn't want to come without him," I said, rubbing my belly.

Edward chuckled. I heard a voice in the background and then Edward laugh and say something. And then he said into the phone, "Emmett and Jasper just told me to say hello to the incubator for them. I'm guessing that means you, am I correct?"

I groaned. "What is it with those two boys and calling me incubator?"

Edward laughed. "I don't know, but I think it's pretty funny."

Rolling my eyes, I muttered, "Boys."

A half hour later, the food came. Charlie and I sat at the kitchen table, enjoying our chicken and fried rice.

"So, how does it feel to be free from homework, teachers, exams, and rumors?" Charlie asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it feels nice to be free from high school. But it feels like every other summer that I've had since I began school in kindergarten. But I think the full effect will hit me later. Oh, did I tell you? I got a job."

"You did? Where?" Charlie asked.

"Over at _Wonderful Journey's Bookstore_. The owner was really nice. I'm starting work on Monday," I said, taking a bite of the orange chicken.

Charlie's eyes sparked with recognition. "Old Abigail Wilson?"

I nodded. "Do you know her or something?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes, I do. She was friends with your grandmother. They were best friends, actually. They met back when she first opened the shop, when I was ten years old. Charming, old lady. She seems to know everything going on around her."

I nodded again. "She knew that I was having a girl without even asking. When she hired me, she had this gleam in her eye that I couldn't quite make out."

Charlie smiled. "She's like that. I have a pretty good feeling that the two of you will get along just fine. Tell her I said hello, will you?"

I smiled and nodded. "I will." Inside me, Elizabeth kicked me as if she agreed. "It was really strange. She placed her hand on my stomach and told me that Elizabeth was lucky to have a brave young woman like me for a mother. What do you suppose that means?"

He shrugged. "All I know that you are brave, knowing that you can do this whole mothering thing. Which, I am sure, that you'll do fine at."

I smiled. "Thanks."

As I was sitting on my bed a little later, I rubbed my stomach, thinking.

Would I be able to do it, being a mother? I still had four months to figure it out, but I didn't know if I was capable of being a mother. I was only eighteen, and I had _just_ finished high school. Even though I would be nineteen by the time Elizabeth was born, I was still very young. I didn't have a place to live in, and I didn't want to live with Charlie once the baby was born, because I knew that babies required a lot of attention, and I also knew that they never slept through the night for the first three months.

Just then, Elizabeth kicked as if she agreed. I stopped my hand where she had kicked. I loved it when she kicked. But the second time she kicked, it was harder than before, making a spasm of pain go through my back.

I got up from the bed, hoping that walking would calm her down, as it always did whenever she got into her 'kicking' habit. As I stepped forward, pain shot through my abdomen, and I felt my knees buckle from under me. I clutched my stomach, trying to make the pain go away.

"Dad!" I called out. I knew that something was wrong. Something was wrong with my Elizabeth. I called out to Charlie once more before blackness started closing in around me.

Hurried footsteps were on the stairs and my bedroom door burst open. Charlie came running in.

"Bella!"

And that was the last thing before I found myself falling into a pit of blackness.

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Author's Note: Finally a cliffhanger! I hope the chapter didn't drag along. I sort of have never written a graduation, much less been to one, so I kind of designed it after the graduation in Eclipse. Was the valedictorian in Eclipse Eric? I can't remember.

So what did you think of the chapter? I had a little trouble starting it, though I think it came out good. Next Chapter: You'll have to wait and see what happens, because I am not telling you. But I do have one question: Does Elizabeth make it?

Remember to review on your way out! Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2


	24. Bed Rest

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I just own this plotline and Elizabeth.

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Chapter Twenty-three: Bed Rest

_I was lying in the hammock that was tied between two trees in the Cullen's backyard, reading a book. Alice and Rosalie were playing a card game on the grass in front of it. It was a sunny summer day, which was a rare thing in Forks, seeing as it was the rainiest place on the Olympic Peninsula. _

_My book was so intriguing that I didn't hear the three boys come up. All I heard was Alice and Rosalie, who had begun to shriek. _

"_Bella, you'd better watch out!" Alice said to me, but I barely heard her. I was at a great part in _Charlotte's Web_, and I couldn't break my eyes away from the pages. Alice and Rosalie continued on shrieking. _

_All of a sudden, I felt something being flung across me and land across my arms. But still, I didn't look up, though it could have been a disastrous result: the something that landed on my arms could have been something poisonous, but I knew better._

_Then I felt a few more things fly across my arms again and tighten. Finally, I looked up. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were grinning, holding huge balls of strings. I looked at my arms and saw that they were tied to the hammock! "Let me go!" I cried. _

_The three boys broke down laughing, but didn't oblige. They began to continue to tie me to the hammock. _

"_Alice, Rosalie, help!" I said. _

_No one answered. I looked around and saw that Alice and Rosalie were tied to the tree at the foot of the hammock._

"_BOYS! UNTIE US RIGHT NOW!" I yelled. _

"_No can do, Bella," Jasper said, and continued to throw string over me. _

_Alice, Rosalie, and I looked at each other and yelled together, "ESME!"_

_It was no use. We were doomed to staying tied to the hammock and the trees. We didn't have loud enough voices for Esme to hear us all the way into the huge house that was the Cullen's. We struggled to get free, but we had no success._

"_Let us go right now! Or you're going to get paid back so bad!" Alice screeched. _

_The boys were undaunted by Alice's threat. They continued to tie us up. Soon, we were only able to move our heads and our legs. I lost hold of my book and it fell to the grass below the hammock. "Edward! Emmett! Jasper! Untie us right now, or you will pay for it!" I said, and I could feel the anger bubbling up inside me. _

"_Boys! What are you doing?" Esme's voice came from the door leading into the house. _

_The three boys looked up from their tying us up, looks of horror on their faces. They dropped what they were doing and ran full tilt to the house. Running past Esme into the house, they disappeared from sight, leaving us three girls to try to struggle free._

_Esme came hurrying towards us a couple moments later, a pair of scissors in her hand. _

"_They tied us up, mom!" Rosalie said. _

"_I know, dear," Esme said, and began to snip away at the string bounding us in captivity. _

_Once we were free a moment later, Alice and Rosalie ran towards the house, intent on finding the boys and beating them up. I paused for a second to say thank you to Esme before bending to the ground to pick my book up. Then, leaving Esme giggling behind, I turned to the house and ran as fast as I could to catch up with Alice and Rosalie. _

The first thing I came aware to was a rhythmic beeping noise. _Beep…beep…beep_. My first thought was, _where am I_? I didn't know where I was. All I heard was different sounds of thumping, and beeps that I knew that was coming from machines.

My mind was working really slowly, and it took my brain a few seconds to get the message that I needed to open my eyes. Reluctantly, I forced my heavy eyes open. The first thing I saw was a peach colored ceiling. _Thump…thump…thump…. _The sound sounded familiar. I had heard it before. I looked to my right and I saw a heart monitor, along with a fetal heart monitor.

It was then that everything came rushing back to me. Graduation…riding home in the cruiser with Charlie…eating Chinese food…falling to the floor in pain. My hand traveled to my stomach, and I felt the baby bump. Elizabeth. She was still in my stomach. I looked toward the fetal heart monitor and saw the heart beat line travel across it. Was she alright? All I remembered was her kicking me, me falling to the ground in pain, and then blackness.

I looked to my left and saw a teenage boy sitting in a chair in the most uncomfortable looking position. He looked like he was sleeping. His head was leaned back against the wall, and his mouth was open ever so slightly. I recognized the tousled bronze hair and knew that it was Edward.

Edward! Oh, I must have scared him so bad.

Just then, I saw him stir. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. When he saw me, he sat up straight and said, "Bella?" And then he got up from his chair and came towards me, wrapping his arms as best he could around my neck.

When he pulled away a moment later, he placed his warm hands on either side of my face and said, "Oh, Bella. You scared me so bad!"

"Where am I?" I asked. My brain was still groggy, and it was working real slowly.

"You're in the hospital, Bella," Edward said, pulling the chair up closer to the bed and sitting back into it.

"What happened?" I asked. My voice was dry and it sounded raspy. Edward got up and poured me a cup of water and handed it to me. The cool water tasted good, and it made my mouth wet again.

Edward sat back in the chair again. "We were all sitting in the kitchen playing a board game when Carlisle got a call from the hospital saying that he needed to get to the emergency room straight away. We all heard the news and then we rushed here to the hospital. It was a couple hours before we knew anything. Carlisle gave you something to make you sleep for a while. Oh, Bella. You scared us all so much. We thought we were going to lose you both."

"I'm sorry. Is she okay?" I asked, looking into Edward's eyes, searching for some truth about my daughter.

Edward looked back into my eyes. He opened his mouth and began to say something, but he was cut off by Carlisle walking into the room.

"Hello, Bella. It's good to see that you're awake," Carlisle said in his British accent. "How are you feeling?" he asked, looking down at the chart that was in his hands.

"My mind is a little groggy," I said.

Carlisle chuckled, nodding. "That would be the sedative that I had to give you to help you go to sleep. Everybody will be glad to know that you're awake."

"Is she okay?" I asked Carlisle.

He nodded. "She's absolutely perfect. Her heart is beating normally, and she is still alive. You're very lucky not to have lost her."

"What happened? What was wrong?" I asked. I felt Edward's hand tighten his grip on my hand.

Carlisle looked straight into my eyes as he explained to me. I heard the words, but my mind didn't exactly comprehend them. Carlisle said that because of what happened, I could have had a miscarriage and I could have lost the baby.

"What's going to happen now?" I asked after Carlisle finished explaining.

Carlisle looked down at the chart again and said, "We're going to keep you here for one more night. You can go home in the morning, after we make sure that the baby is perfectly alright and there is nothing wrong with her. And then you'll be put on bed rest for a week."

"Bed rest?" I asked, and I heard the heart monitor begin to beep faster. "I'm going to be on my butt for a week?"

"Calm down, Bella. It's only a week's bed rest. Then you'll be able to go about with whatever you do during the day. But I'm going to advise you that you should take it easy for the first few days after you get back on your feet," Carlisle said. "You should be back to good as new by the time you get off bed rest."

I sighed, but nodded reluctantly.

"I'll be back in a couple hours to check on how you're doing," Carlisle said. He gave me smile and then walked out of the room.

After he was gone, I asked Edward, "How long have I been here?"

"You were unconscious for about a day, and then Carlisle gave you that sedative, and you went to sleep. We were all able to breathe better when Carlisle told us that you were sleeping. So you've been in the hospital for two days. It's Friday right now," Edward said.

I sighed. "Where is everybody?"

"Alice and Jasper are in the cafeteria, trying to find something for breakfast. Emmett and Esme are in the waiting room down the hall, probably reading through magazines, and Rosalie is back at home. She claimed that she needed a shower. As for me, I was forced to go home last night and get some food in me and take a shower. I came back over here a few hours ago with Alice and Jasper," Edward said.

I looked at him disapprovingly. "Don't tell me that you've been here for the past two days, worrying your head off about me, not eating a thing."

Edward grinned a little sheepishly. "I guess I was. But I did go home at night. But only because I was forced to."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at him. "What about Charlie?"

"He's been worried sick. I think he's somewhere here in the hospital. He's been coming in during the day," Edward said, looking at me. "We've all been worried about you; Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett. Even Rosalie. Alice and I have been the most worried out of us all, though they have all been extremely worried about you, and your baby."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I'm sorry for doing that to you," I said. I put my hand on his cheek and looked him straight in the eye as I said this.

"You have no reason to be sorry for," he said.

"I could have lost her, Edward," I said. "I could have lost her in a second."

"But you didn't lose her. She's still breathing," Edward said.

I shook my head. "I know that she's still breathing. But why was I being so stupid when I said that I would keep her?"

Edward placed his hands on both sides of my face and looked me straight in the eye. "Don't say that, Bella. I know that you would never give up a baby. To say that you should have given her up is horrible. You had a right to keep her. She is your daughter, and I know that you love her."

Tears came to my eyes and began to roll down my face as I said, "I do love her."

Edward's face came up close to my face and I could feel his warm breath on my face. "I love you, Bella. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"I love you, too, Edward."

And then his lips came in contact with mine. As always, I melted into the kiss, but I had to break away a few seconds later. I grabbed Edward's hand and placed it on my stomach where Elizabeth had kicked. He laughed. "She always does like to interrupt our kisses, doesn't she?" he asked, grinning.

I chuckled. "Yes. She likes to kick me whenever you kiss me."

And that was when I remembered. "You know what I was dreaming about before I woke up?"

He looked at me and said, "No."

"It was the time when you tied me to the hammock and Jasper and Emmett tied Alice and Rosalie to the tree at the end," I said. "I never knew that you guys could run so fast when you were in trouble."

Edward sat there, laughing at the memory. "You guys were so mad at us. You practically chased us around the whole house before you caught us and gave us your revenge. I must say that you guys hit can hit really hard with pillows."

I laughed. I was glad that Elizabeth was okay, and that I hadn't lost her. I didn't know what I would have done if I _had_ lost her.

"I have to say that Alice is really excited about taking you shopping," Edward said.

I groaned and let my head fall back on the pillow. "Great. Alice has been introduced to internet shopping. I can tell this is going to be a _very_ long week!"

Edward only laughed.

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Author's Note: Elizabeth made it! Yea! You can all let your breath out now - I know that you've been holding your breath in.

I want to thank everyone for their reviews! For those of you who didn't recieve a review reply, I am really sorry. But I thank you just the same for the reviews. You don't know how much it means to me. Oh, if you ever noticed, if someone leaves me a bubbly review, I send a bubbly review reply back - I can get excited about reviews.

Next chapter should be up soon. I don't know when though. I need to post this chapter and go to bed, seeing as it is 12 at night, and I really need to go to bed. I'll end this Author's note here. Remember to review on your way out. Thanks! Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2


	25. Strange Comfort

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I just own this plot, _Wonderful Journey's Bookstore_, Elizabeth, and Abigail.

Author's Note: Thank you to all the reviewers who have reviewed and read my story. You guys rock!

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Chapter Twenty-four: Strange Comforts 

I stayed on bed rest for the next week. 

I was slightly annoyed by this, being on my butt for seven days, but Charlie reminded me that I should be glad that I wasn't stuck on my butt for three months. I thought that over for a moment and then agreed with him. The limit of movement I had was from the couch to the bathroom upstairs and to my room. That was it. And that totaled up to a total of five minutes a day. So I was forced to live with not taking a shower until I got off bed rest.

I got to stay on the living room couch for a whole week, with the exception of sleeping in my bedroom at night, and let me tell you, by the time half the week was through, I was tired of seeing the same four walls; it got slightly claustrophobic. 

And then, the day after I got released from the hospital, I remembered that Abigail Wilson, the bookstore owner, didn't know that I had gotten a week of bed rest and that I wouldn't be able to start work for another week. 

"Of course Bella, I know exactly what you're going through. I am perfectly sure that I can go without you for another week. You just be sure to rest up and take care of that baby of yours. You wouldn't want something like that happening again," Abigail said, when I called her up, telling her that I was extremely sorry.

I had found this slightly strange, and when I told her that she could fire me for not starting work when I was supposed to, she only laughed and said, "Oh, that won't be necessary, Bella. These things happen unexpectedly. It's nothing that shouldn't fire you from a job that I'm pretty sure you would do marvelous at. You just come and start work whenever you can get back moving around on your feet. Don't worry about a thing."

I found this especially strange. Abigail Wilson sure was one strange person, but she was nice and I liked her. 

Charlie had insisted, when I got home from the hospital, that he stay home and help me with things around the house, but I told him that he needed to go to work and that I could take care of myself. Besides, Alice and Edward would be keeping me company in the afternoon. He reluctantly agreed, though I swear that he came home earlier than usual every day after.

Alice and Edward, who had both gotten their summer job that they had applied for, came over to my house after they got off work, which was in the early afternoon. They brought movies or decks of cards with them to help keep me occupied, which I found really sweet. 

Through the whole week, Edward, Alice, and I would sit on the couch, watching movies or playing a board game and what not. Whenever they weren't at the house, I would curl up on the couch and read a book. Either that or I would fall asleep for a couple hours.

On Thursday afternoon, I was sitting on the couch with Alice. We were watching _Batman Begins _and eating chocolate ice cream. 

"How cool would it be if you had a cave underneath your house?" Alice asked. 

"That would be pretty awesome," I said, taking a bite of the ice cream. "If there was a cave underneath the house, I would just hope that it wouldn't have bats in it. They're creepy."

Alice giggled. "I wonder what Rosalie would say if we asked her to go spelunking with us."

I thought about it for a moment and then giggled. "That would be an interesting outcome," I said and we sat there for a moment, giggling.

Elizabeth kicked as if in agreement with us, and it caused me to giggle even harder. I grabbed Alice's hand and placed it on the spot Elizabeth kicked. Elizabeth kicked again and she giggled. 

"She sure likes to kick," she said.

I nodded. "She likes to exercise during the night, when I'm trying to sleep. It's quite annoying, but at least I know that she's still okay." 

Alice smiled sympathetically. 

Two weeks after the end of my confinement, I was working in the bookstore. I had been working there for a week, and I had already fallen in love with working there. The job was nice and quiet, and it was relaxing as well. I could definitely see myself owning a bookstore, with my calm and quiet nature that came with it. 

This particular day, I was sitting at the front desk, reading a book and waiting for a customer to come in, when I heard the bell over the door ring as the door opened. I looked up from my book and saw that Jessica Stanley had walked in. I quickly pulled on my baggy sweater and zipped it up.

Luckily, she didn't notice that it was I, Bella Swan, sitting at the desk. "Do you have the book…Bella?" she asked, her voice immediately turning to shock as she said my name. 

I smiled a sarcastic smile and said, "Hey, Jessica. How's life out of school?"

Jessica rolled her eyes and said, "What are you doing here?" 

"I work here, if you haven't noticed," I said, leaning farther into the desk so as to conceal my baby bump. 

Jessica rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever. Do you have the book or not? I ordered it like three weeks ago and I desperately need it. All the other bookshops in town don't have it."

"You know, I sort of need a _little_ more description than just 'do you have it or not', because I wasn't working here 'like three weeks ago.'" I was feeling a little annoyed at Jessica for some reason. She could have at least said a nice greeting. But then again, Jessica had always been jealous of me – all because I had Edward and she didn't; I couldn't expect her to be nice.

Jessica narrowed her eyes at my sarcastic tone of voice and said, "What the heck has gotten into you lately? You've been slightly snappish ever since you came back to this town."

I looked down at the desk, fighting back the tears that were threatening to break through the surface. Stupid, spontaneous hormones. Pulling myself together, I looked back up and said to Jessica, "I'll go check."

I went to the back room, where all the deliveries of the books came in. Abigail was sorting through some papers and quickly looked up when I walked in. 

"Has a book come in yet for Jessica Stanley?" I asked, trying to sound normal. 

Abigail rolled her eyes. "Is that girl in here _again_?" I nodded. "You can just tell her that the book she wants won't be here for another three days and then give her the book." She went to a box and pulled a book from it. Handing it to me she said, "It's time that girl got teased for once."

Not being able to contain myself, I giggled and said, "Will do."

Walking back out to the front desk, I saw Jessica tapping her fingers impatiently and staring at the wall, an annoyed look on her face. She looked up when I walked over and said, "Well, finally. What took you so long?" She had an annoyed tone on her voice.

Grinning mentally, I walked up to the desk, concealing the book Jessica had wanted perfectly. "Well, Jess, the book is going to take a couple more days to come in. They had a little bit of trouble with the shipping. It should be here within the next two days, though." I loved it when I played mind games with Jessica, and that wasn't very often. 

Jessica glared at me and huffed, "Well, I am surely not going to be doing business here again. You need to get some sense knocked into your delivery guys."

Before she could turn around and stalk out of the store, I said, "Geez, Jess, relax. I have your book right here." I pulled the book out from its hiding place and placed it on the counter. Jess rolled her eyes and snatched it up, saying, "How much is it?" 

I gave her a pointed look, and she sighed and gave the book back to me. I smiled at her sarcastically and rang the book up. "$6.28, please."

Jessica put a ten dollar bill on the counter and then waited for the change. Very impatiently, I might add. 

I took my time putting the money in the cash register and getting the change. I looked at the title of the book and it said, _101 Recipes For The Heart_. Handing Jessica the change, I asked, "Learning how to cook, Jess?"

Jessica blushed and said, "My grandmother's coming into town and I told her a few years ago that I loved to cook, which I don't. So I have to show her my 'great' cooking skills." 

I giggled. "Good luck."

"Er, thanks," Jessica muttered and grabbed the book. Three seconds later, she was out the door.

I sat back down on the seat behind the counter. I was thankful that it was almost time for me to leave for the day. The day was beginning to take its toll on me and I was beginning to feel really tired. 

Since there was currently no one in the store, I unzipped my sweater and rubbed my stomach, Elizabeth kicking in response. I giggled and said, "You will always be my little girl." And then I began to softly hum a song that my mother had sung to me when I was younger. Her mother had sung it to her when she was young, and I was going to pass that tradition on to my daughter. 

"You have a lovely voice. Reminds me of when I sang to my own daughter," a voice said from behind me. 

I turned my head, smiling. "Thanks. The song's been in my family ever since my mom was a baby. She sung it to me when I was younger, and I thought that I should pass it on to my daughter."

Abigail walked over to the counter and pulled up another chair, placing it next to me and sitting down in it. "What's her name?"

"Elizabeth Jamie Marie Swan," I said, rubbing my stomach thoughtfully. "Do you think that it's too long of a name? I mean, she's tiny and it's kind of a long name for a small kid to write out."

Abigail laughed. "I don't think so. It's a lovely name." She placed her hand on my stomach and, looking into my eyes, said, "She's going to grow up just like you, I can tell." 

Once again, the strange, comforting feeling came over me. This always happened when I was around Abigail. She always made me feel…like she knew something. This had happened when I had first met her, when she had first hired me. I smiled at Abigail. "Thanks. How do you know that she'll grow up just like me?" 

Abigail smiled, the strange gleam once again coming into her eye. "I just do. With a young lady like yourself for a mother, who would ever doubt that?" She looked over at the clock on the wall and said, "It's almost time for your work day to be done, Bella. You go on home and rest. You look like you need a nap."

In spite of myself, I giggled and said, "Yep. Elizabeth is demanding that I take a nap. She's going to have to wait a little longer, though, while I get groceries to feed her." I stood up, zipping my sweater up. "I'll be in at 10 on Monday?" 

Abigail nodded as I picked up my shoulder bag and slung it across my chest. "I'll see you on Monday. Oh, and tell that boyfriend of yours that I said hello, will you? His name's Edward, isn't it?"

I blushed and nodded, smiling. "I will. See you."

As I was nearing the check-out counter at the grocery store, pushing a cart with food, I saw that it was Angela standing there. I was grateful that it was Angela and not Lauren or any of the other gossip girls of Forks. I smiled as I pushed my cart up to the conveyor belt. 

"Hey Bella. How are you feeling?" she smiled as I started to load the groceries up. 

"Good. A little tired, but feeling fine for the most part," I said. 

Angela laughed. "I heard about what happened about the graduation from your dad. I'm sorry about not calling you; we've had family over, and it's been really crazy." As she said this, she began scanning the food items. 

I waved it away with my hand. "No big deal. I've been busy working at the bookshop any way."

Angela smiled. When she finished scanning the items and they had been bagged, she told me the price. I pulled the money out of my bag and handed it to her. 

"So where are you planning on going to college?" I asked. 

"I got accepted to California State College," she replied, and excited gleam in her eyes.

"Really? Wow!" I said, "Congratulations."

"Thank you. How's working at a bookstore?" she asked. 

I grinned. "I _love_ it. I can hardly wait until I can finally open a bookstore of my own."

"Hey, can you get a move on with your little conversation? I'm running a little late for a meeting that is vitally important. If you want me to lose my job, than _move please_."

We turned and saw a very impatient looking man in a business suit. He was holding two things of Cup-in-Hand tomato soup and tapping his foot hurriedly. 

Angela bit back a laugh as she said to me, "I'll see you later."

When I arrived home a few minutes later, I put away the groceries and then went into the living room, where I laid down on the couch, exhausted. Ever since I had become pregnant, I had been more tired than usual, and I had always found myself drifting off into a nap in the afternoon. Sinking back into the cushions, I closed my eyes, drifting off into a nap, gently rubbing my stomach.

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Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, but I'm back, and so is my brain. I've had a cold this past week, but now I'm feeling better. I swear this chapter was so hard to start. I had a serious case of writer's block, and that is no good when I have something in mind and I can't put it into words. So how did you like the chapter? Sorry if it's so short. 

Next Chapter: Food Fight. That is _all_ I am going to say, so don't even ask questions about it. The next chapter should be up within the next couple days, I hope. Again, sorry for the delay in updating. Remember to review! (Sorry to all who didn't get a review reply. I'm working on replying to every single review I get.) Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2 


	26. Cake Catastrophies

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I only own Elizabeth and this plotline.

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Chapter Twenty-five: Cake Catastrophies

A couple weeks later was Edward's nineteenth birthday. Alice, Rosalie, and Esme were planning on giving him a birthday party, and they, unfortunately, dragged me into their planning. The day before his birthday, they forced me to walk around the Port Angeles mall for four hours, which didn't impress me. 

The day after, I was woken up to the sound of 'Good Morning Good Morning' playing out. "Hello?" I asked groggily, not opening my eyes. 

"Good morning, Bella! Isn't it just a wonderful day?" Alice's voice chirped over the phone.

I grunted and said, "I wouldn't know. I've been awake for all of thirty seconds." My eyes were still closed and I sat up as well as I could. 

Alice giggled and said, "Come on over as soon as you get up; we won't make the cake without you."

I sighed. "Alright. I'll be over as soon as I can get something into my body that is equivalent to a cup of coffee."

Again, Alice giggled. "Well, get on over here. We're all forcing Edward to stay in his room until we call him down. We're all very excited about this."

"Why? It's just lunch, presents, and cake and then voila," I said, getting out of bed. 

Alice sighed. "You, my dear Bella, are obviously not a party fanatic, are you?"

"You got that right. I'll be over. Bye. And please don't trap Edward in his room alone for a million years," I said. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 9:30 a.m. Poor Edward. Hope he wouldn't be stuck in his room all morning. 

"You're no fun. It's only a couple hours. Bye," Alice giggled and the line disconnected. 

After taking a nice, warm shower, I pulled on a pair of dark blue maternity jeans and a maternity shirt that Alice had gotten me. I would have settled for borrowing one of Charlie's T-shirts, but I knew that Alice probably would be disappointed if I didn't wear the shirt, so I had to settle for wearing the maternity shirt. It was a light blue short sleeved shirt that had tiny green vines with small flowers along the bottom of the shirt. 

It was ten-thirty by the time I pulled into the Cullen's driveway. As I was walking up the porch steps, the front door was pulled open and Jasper appeared with a grateful look on his face. 

"Hey –" I began, but got cut off by Jasper pulling me into the house. 

"Hey, Bella, thank goodness you're here. What took you so long?" he asked. "Alice is going crazy that you weren't here at ten."

I rolled my eyes. "What's wrong with showing up at half past ten?"

Jasper shrugged, a slight smile on his face. 

Alice then came out of the kitchen and stood before me, hand on her hip. "Why weren't you here a half hour ago, young lady?"

I heard Jasper trying to bite back a laugh. "Alice, I woke up an hour ago. It takes me a little while to get a little functional in the morning. Plus, you dragged me around the mall for four and a half hours yesterday afternoon."

Alice smiled and pulled at my arm, beginning to lead me into the kitchen. 

I turned my head and looked at Jasper, a pleading look on my face. He was trying to hold back his laughter by trying to keep a straight face, but it wasn't exactly working. He tried to give me a sympathetic look, but that only caused him to burst out in laughter. 

Alice pulled me into the kitchen and led me over to a stool at the Island where she sat me down. Sitting down next to me, she pulled a mixing bowl toward her and said, "We get to decorate the cake! You took a little too long in getting here, so we had to bake the cake."

"Not my fault I'm dysfunctional in the morning these days," I said as Alice pushed another mixing bowl towards me. I saw that there was frosting in it, as well as in the other one. "Alice, how much frosting are you putting on this cake?" 

She only grinned and wiggled her eyebrows mischievously. 

Esme walked over to the Island, a cake pan in each of her hands. She had a warm smile on her face. "Hello, Bella dear. How are you feeling today?" She placed the cake pans on the Island and sat down on one of the stools.

I shrugged, stirring the frosting in the bowl. "I'm feeling perfectly fine, despite the fact that I now have a basketball permanently strapped to my stomach."

At this, Esme and Alice burst into a fit of giggles. They both covered their mouths with their hands to conceal it, to no success. I glared at them both. "Have you guys ever had a basketball stuck to your stomach? Trust me, it isn't pleasant."

They tried to control their fits of giggles. Esme was the first to get her control back. 

"Sorry, Bella," she said, before going back into a silent fit of giggles; she couldn't help herself.

Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett walked into the kitchen just then. Upon seeing Esme and Alice in a fit of giggles, they looked questioningly at me. 

"Why are they giggling uncontrollably?" Jasper asked, sitting next to Alice while Carlisle and Emmett sat on either sides of Esme. 

"They seem to think it's funny that I have a basketball stomach," I said, turning back to the frosting. 

The two boys looked at each other and then looked at my stomach. "Your stomach doesn't look like a basketball, Bella," Jasper said, obviously trying to help. Emmett, however, found it really funny and he had to cover his mouth with his hand while he shook with quiet laughter. Carlisle just looked amused.

I looked down at my stomach. I had to admit that my stomach – even though it had finally taken on a round shape – was not that big. Even though I was a week away from being six months pregnant, my stomach was still smaller than the average stomach. It didn't look like a basketball. Yet.

"It looks like a small half of a moon," Jasper said. 

I glared at him and Emmett as they both burst into laughter at the look on my face. 

Esme and Alice, meanwhile, had overcome their laughter. Esme was now glaring at Jasper and Emmett, saying, "Stop laughing boys. Bella's stomach does not look like a half a moon or a basketball. I'm sure that she would appreciate it if you stopped laughing."

Jasper and Emmett stopped laughing and they both said, with innocent grins on their faces, "Sorry, Bella." Carlisle as well had an innocent looking grin on his face. 

Alice and I had a fun time decorating the two cakes. When I asked her what the second cake was for, Alice grinned and said, "Jasper challenged Emmett and Edward to see who could eat the most cake within thirty seconds."

I felt slightly sick to my stomach as I imagined it in my head. "Boys and their challenges. First it's babies and now it's cake. Whatever will it be next?" I muttered. 

Alice laughed and said, "If I'm not mistaking, I think they're betting on what the name of the baby will be."

I just rolled my eyes. 

Once the cakes had been decorated and lunch – which was deli sandwiches – was ready, Alice told me to go get Edward and tell him that he was free to come out. I happily obliged and walked up the stairs and down the hall to Edward's bedroom. 

I was just about to knock on the door when it opened and I was pulled in, the door closing behind me. "What-?" I began but got cut off by a kiss on the lips. I struggled to get free by pushing my hands against the chest of whoever was kissing me. 

The kiss broke off and I stepped back a couple steps, my eyes wide with fear and my heart racing wildly. And then I realized that it was only Edward. "Man, Edward, don't do that," I said, putting a hand to my chest to calm my speeding heart. 

"Sorry," Edward grinned. He was trying to dazzle me into forgiving him. It didn't work this time. 

As I felt the anger begin to bubble up inside me, I said, "You know, that's what got me pregnant in the first place, spontaneous pulling into rooms. Alice sent me up here to tell you that you're free to come out now." With that, I opened the bedroom door and left quietly, though anger was raging through me. I was surprised and kind of glad that I hadn't yelled. Stupid hormones, they were going to be the death of me one of these days.

Five steps away from Edward's bedroom, I was stopped by someone pulling on my arm. I turned around and saw Edward. 

"Hi," he said. "Sorry about that. I was just glad to see someone who was at least sane."

I didn't answer him; I just looked at him, my arms crossed across the top of my stomach. "You could have at least warned me you were going to do that. It scared me half to death."

"I'm really sorry. Forgive me?" Edward asked, putting his dazzling eyes on. I looked away, sighing. As always, they were making me forget to breathe, and that wasn't a good thing. 

"Yes, Edward, I'll forgive you. But please, don't turn your dazzling eyes on me when you're sorry. They make me not be able to breathe," I said. 

Edward grinned. "Alright." And then he leaned in and kissed me. I melted into the kiss, like always. When he broke apart a few seconds later, he said, "So, what was that about Alice saying I could escape from my room?"

I grinned and said, "You can come out now."

"Good. I've been trapped in there since seven this morning," Edward said as we started down the hallway. "It was a good thing that you came and rescued me. I don't think my sanity would have lasted if I had to stay in there for another hour."

I giggled. 

For the next hour, after Edward and I arrived downstairs, we all ate Esme's wonderful deli sandwiches – okay, deli sandwiches aren't that wonderful, but I was starving, okay? They tasted really good to me – and eaten the cake that Alice and I had decorated. After the cake, we gave Edward his presents. And I have to say, Edward turned beet red when he opened Alice's and mine's gift – we had gotten him a huge, stuffed yellow duck as a joke. But, nonetheless, he told us thank you and said that he would hide it deep in his closet. At this, Alice groaned and stuffed her hand into her pocket and then handed a five dollar bill to Jasper, who was grinning like a maniac. 

And that was when Jasper challenged Emmett and Edward to the cake eating contest. To my surprise, they had somehow managed to very easily convince Carlisle to join them. 

Esme very reluctantly brought out the second cake – at their request, Alice and I had put extra, extra frosting on the cake – and separated it into four different bowls. She then set each of them in front of the four men and stood back with Rosalie, Alice, and I. 

"Okay, you have thirty seconds to eat as much cake as you can. When I say go, start eating. And please, try to make it not sloppy," Esme said. "And when I say stop, that _means_ stop. Do I make myself clear?" 

The four men sitting at the Island nodded. 

"Go!" 

Then the cake eating contest began. The second Esme said go, Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and Carlisle all began scarfing down their cake. Alice and Rosalie cheered on their boyfriends while Esme and I shook our heads in disgust. I sat back in my chair, rubbing my stomach. Elizabeth kicked in response. When there was only ten seconds left, Emmett, who was scarfing down his cake, got some of it on Carlisle. And that was when the cake catastrophe of 2005 started. 

Carlisle grinned evilly and slapped some cake into Emmett's face. He responded with throwing cake into Carlisle's face. 

Laughing at the look on Carlisle's face and eager to join in the fight, Jasper and Edward both grabbed some cake and threw it at Emmett and Carlisle. 

They turned to Edward and Jasper, blank looks on their faces.

"FOOD FIGHT!" yelled Emmett. 

Alice and I looked at each other with looks of horror on our faces and Alice jerked her head towards the safety of the doorway. In the safety of the doorway, Alice and I watched the food fight, cheering on our boyfriends. Esme and Rosalie were on the other side of the kitchen, also out of range. Both were cheering on Carlisle and Emmett. 

Jasper threw cake at Carlisle and Emmett. Both threw cake back at Jasper and Edward. Occasionally, they would take refuge by ducking behind the Island, only to pop back up with evil grins and ready to throw more cake. 

At one point, Edward managed to grab a cookie sheet and use it as a shield for Jasper and himself. All were laughing and cackling evil laughs, throwing cake back and forth. It was a slightly weird sight to see. 

Pretty soon, they were all out of cake – they had grabbed the left over cake from the two cakes as well as from their bowls. All four men were covered in cake and the floor and the kitchen table had cake crumbs and frosting on it. The presents, which Alice and I had cleverly hidden under the table, were unharmed. 

Esme, Rosalie, Alice, and I burst out laughing at the sight of Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward. Their hair had remnants of cake in it and they all had frosting on their shirts. 

"That was _awesome_!" Emmett said, and they all agreed. 

There was a flash of white light and we all turned to see Esme, holding a camera. She had a grin on her face and it was evil looking. The four boys looked at Esme with looks of horror on their faces and we could all see that their faces were turning bright red from embarrassment. 

They looked at each other and yelled simultaneously, "ESME!"

Esme snapped another picture, giggled, and then ran out of the kitchen, the four boys running after her. 

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Author's Note: Ah, poor boys. Let me just say, those pictures are going to be for revenge in the years to come. Heehee! So how did you all enjoy that chapter? I know I enjoyed it! That was really fun to write. 

Next chapter: We'll be going ahead a month. Bella will recieve a letter. That is all that I am going to be saying. The next chapter may be a little longer than the previous chapters, but I am not sure. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Now it's on to schoolwork for me! Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2


	27. The Letter

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I just own Elizabeth and this plotline.

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Chapter Twenty-six: The Letter

We eventually did get to see the pictures Esme took of the boys. They had turned out very funny looking and we had to hide them with _extreme_ caution and care, as all four boys were out to destroy the pictures. Well, technically, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were out to destroy them; Carlisle was just sitting back and enjoying the show.

A month after Edward's birthday, when I was a little over seven months along, I was walking along the sidewalk with Alice. It was a Saturday morning, and we had both decided to go pick up our paychecks. Alice was skipping alongside me on our way to the bookstore, being her usual chipper self. I had to say, it was beginning to annoy me, but I bit my tongue from saying so. My hormones were making my mouth occasionally take on a life of its own, and so I usually kept quiet whenever I was around people. 

It was the beginning of August, and Edward and Alice were enjoying the last month before they had to start college. They were still going to the community college, which I found really sweet. I had tried to convince them both to go to a college that would give a better education, but they told me that they were staying with me in Forks. 

"What are all those cars? I've never seen them around town before," Alice said, pointing in the direction of the bookstore, which we were nearing.

I looked at where Alice was pointing, and I saw two black cars and a silvery-white car. Shrugging, I said, "I don't know. I've never seen them before, either." 

We approached the bookstore and looked through the window. There were two men in suits and a lady in a skirt and blouse. There was a briefcase sitting open on the desk. Alice and I looked at each other, confused looks on our faces, and then walked into the bookstore.

The two men, who were talking in serious sounding voices to the woman, looked up when we entered.

"Hello. Are you of any relation to Abigail Wilson?" the first man said.

Alice and I shook our heads no. 

"I'm Bella. I work here. Where's Abigail?" I asked.

"Mrs. Wilson passed away yesterday in the hospital from heart failure. Are you the Isabella Swan that she was talking about?" asked the second man. 

I looked at Alice and she had a look of shock on her face. I knew that shock was crossing my face as well, but I didn't care. Abigail had died of heart failure? "How?" I asked. "She was perfectly fine on Thursday."

"We can't predict these things, Miss Swan. Are you or are you not the Isabella Swan that she was talking about?" the first man asked. What were they talking about.

I looked over at Alice again, and she now had a look of confusion on her face. "What are you talking about, sir?" she asked. "I think that there is only one Isabella Swan in this town."

"May I ask who you are and what you're doing here?" I asked. I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, but I wanted to know who they were and what they were doing.

"Please forgive us for our manners. We're attorney's from the Law Offices of Mannel &Sons. We're Abigail Wilson's lawyers. I'm David Mackleton and this is my assistant Bernie Henderson. And this lady over here is Georgia Shaw. She's the realtor for this place," the first man, Mr. Mackleton, said. He reached out his hands to both me and Alice, and we shook it hesitantly. 

"Alice Cullen. Pleased to meet you. So, Abigail died yesterday of heart failure?" Alice asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. 

"She was acting perfectly fine on Thursday, how could of it had happened?" I asked. 

The two lawyers shrugged. 

"She was an old lady," Mr. Henderson said. He reached into the briefcase that was sitting open on the desk and pulled out a few papers. "So, you are the Isabella Swan that she was talking about?" 

I slapped my hand to my forehead in frustration. "Yes, I am. But what are _you_ talking about? You keep on asking me if I am or not and yes I am, so what are you talking about?" I asked, hormones getting the better of me. 

The two lawyers looked a little bit surprised, but then noticed my bump. 

"Mrs. Wilson came to us a couple weeks ago and we wrote her will. Apparently, she gave everything in this place to you, even the apartment building upstairs. Everything will be owned by you when you turn nineteen," Mr. Henderson said as he looked through the papers that he had taken from the briefcase. 

I blinked. What? I looked over at Alice. She had a look of excitement on her face. Why she had the look of excitement on her face was beyond me. "Excuse me, I'm sorry. What?" I asked in a confused voice. "Why would she leave this place to me?"

"It's not our business to know that. She said in her will that she was giving this bookshop to you, everything in it, and the place upstairs," Mr. Mackleton said. What place upstairs?

"So Bella owns everything in here?" asked Alice, awe clearly evident in her voice. What was so…awesome about this?

The two lawyers nodded. 

"Oh," I said. It was all I _could_ say. I mean, I came here to get my paycheck and then I get bombarded with the news that I was going to own a bookstore and everything in it when I turned nineteen. What was this world coming to? That had to be a joke of some kind. If it was, it was a really bad one. 

"What's going to happen with the bookstore now, since Bella isn't going to be nineteen for another month and a half?" Alice asked. I looked at her, a blank look on my face. 

The two lawyers put the papers back in the briefcase as the realtor lady said, "Well, the bookstore is going to be closed for a few weeks until you do turn nineteen, and then you'll be able to open it whenever you're ready. You'll have to sign a couple of papers, which you can do now, since you're here now. It will only take a few moments, if you're willing to, that is."

"Okay, this has to be a dream. I'll see you later, Alice," I said. I turned around to go, but got turned back around by Alice, who pushed me to the counter of the shop – we had been standing near the door.

I glared at her, but she only smiled back encouragingly. I smiled hesitantly at the two lawyers and the realtors and said hesitantly, "What am I supposed to do?" Next to me, Alice was squealing with excitement, though she had a hand over her mouth to try to contain it. I glared at her again. 

The first lawyer pulled out a few sheets of paper that were stapled together. "You'll have to sign in a couple different places."

He handed me a pen and laid the papers down on the desk. "Sign here…here…here…here… and then here."

The papers looked legal. And they were scary for some reason. I thought about it for a second. Why was I being given this bookshop spontaneously? Abigail had never before mentioned about giving this bookshop to me. Elizabeth kicked me as if to say, "Go on, mom. Do it. I know that you'll be able to run it well." I mentally smiled. Taking a deep breath, I looked at Alice. She grinned encouragingly at me. _Here goes nothing_. 

And with that, I signed the papers. 

When I was done, I pushed the papers and the pen back across the counter top to the lawyer, who put it in the briefcase. 

"You'll be getting your copy in the mail within the next couple of days. This is the legal one that the lawyers office," Mr. Mackleton said. 

I could only nod. _What did I just do?_

As Alice and I walked down the street back towards where my truck was parked, I was lost in my thoughts. I couldn't believe what I had just done. I had just been given a bookstore that would officially, _officially_ be mine on September 13. What was I going to do? How was I going to handle running a bookstore and a newborn baby?

The drive back to the Cullen's house, where I was dropping Alice off before heading back home, was silent, though I knew that Alice was probably bouncing up and down with restrained excitement. I didn't look at her, so I wasn't sure. I was basking in my own thoughts, wondering how the heck I was supposed to do this. 

As I pulled in front of the big house, Alice turned to me and asked, "Want to come in for some lunch?" I could see the excitement evident in her eyes. 

I sighed looking down at the steering wheel, oblivious to the fact that my engine was roaring almost deafeningly. I looked back up at Alice and said, "Alright. But I think I'll go home after. Elizabeth's asking for a nap."

Alice giggled. 

I was still quiet as I sat at the Island, watching Alice, who had insisted I sit down, stir in the ingredients of the Rice-A-Roni. My thoughts were playing over and over again in my mind. I was interrupted by Alice asking, "What did he mean by the place upstairs?" 

"Hm?" I asked, looking up. Alice was sitting across from me. 

"What was that lawyer saying about that place above the bookstore? Is there a place above it?" 

I shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't even know that there was a place above the bookstore. Probably came with the store when Abigail bought the place."

"Can you believe that you actually own a bookstore?" Alice asked, excitement returning to her voice. "How cool is that?" 

Once again, I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. "I guess it's cool."

"What's cool?" asked a voice. 

Alice and I looked up to see Esme and Carlisle walk into the kitchen. Both were carrying two paper bags of groceries. I shot Alice a look that clearly said 'blurt it out and die', but apparently, she didn't catch it. 

"Bella owns a bookstore!" Alice blurted out, unable to keep her excitement bottled up any longer. 

I placed an elbow on the Island top and buried my forehead against the palm of my hand. When I looked back up, I glared at Alice. "Alice," I said. She only grinned innocently back at me. 

"You own a bookstore? Bella, that is great. When did this happen?" Esme asked as she began to unload one of the bags. She had this look of happiness in her eyes, and her voice held happiness as well. 

"This morning!" Alice said, still so excited that she was beginning to jump up and down in her seat. I stared at her with a pointed look. Finally, she caught the look on my face and said, "Sorry. But tell them what happened. It's _so_ awesome!" 

Still glaring at her, I said to Carlisle and Esme, and said, "I was going to pick up my paycheck this morning, and found out that Abigail died yesterday and apparently, she left the whole bookstore and the place above it to me. Totally was _not_ expecting that."

Alice giggled as Esme said, "That is terrific, Bella. So what's going to happen now?"

"I guess it's going to be closed for a few weeks and then reopen again once I turn nineteen. It isn't exactly my business to run until I am nineteen," I said, looking down at the table top.

"Oh, yes. I forgot," Carlisle suddenly said. We all looked at him. "I have something for you, Bella. I'll be right back." With that, he left the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with thin, white thing in his hand. He handed it to me and returned to unloading the groceries.

"What's this?" I asked, turning the envelope over in my hands. On the front in clear, neat handwriting was two words, _Bella Swan_. I looked up at Carlisle with questioning eyes. 

"I was the doctor that treated her yesterday. Right before she died, she handed me that envelope and told me, _'Give that to Bella Swan. I know you know who she is.'_ I didn't read it. Go ahead and open it," Carlisle said in his British accent. 

"I'll just read it later," I said, sticking it into the back pocket of my jeans. I intended on reading it later, when I was away from the eyes of the Cullen's, when I could cry without them being in front of me; I hated it when that happened.

All through lunch, I forced myself to join in the conversation with Carlisle, Esme, and Alice. I had too much on my mind, and I was glad when I was able to get into my truck and go home. 

When I got home, I sat on the couch, rubbing my stomach with my hand. 

Taking a deep breath, I pulled the envelope out of my back pocket and held it in my hands. _Here goes nothing_, I thought and opened the envelope. It hadn't been sealed; the lid of the envelope had just been tucked inside it. 

As I looked at it, I saw that it had been written just two days ago. Did she know that she was going to be gone soon? She had always had those strange…things about that made you wonder a lot of things. 

I took a deep breath and began to read, my eyes watering up as I read it, just as I had expected it to. 

_Dear Isabella,_

_If you are reading this, it means that I have passed on to the next life: a better life. I want you to know that you are a wonderful girl who has promise with the world and who will find her way through whatever troubles you face in the years to come. _

_I know, you are probably wondering why I am writing this letter to you. For you to understand why I am doing this, I am going to have to start at the beginning. _

_Back when your father was very young, I was the best of friends with his mother, who would one day become your grandmother. When we had been young, your grandmother and I, we wanted to open a bookstore of our own, as we loved to read. _

_We lived here, in Forks. When Charlie your father was only five years old, we got our dream, and opened our own little bookstore. Obviously, we named it _Wonderful Journey's Bookstore_, where you first met me. _

_Bella, before your grandmother died, when you were only thirteen, she came to me and we agreed that, should either or both of us die, the shop would go to you who liked books so much. When both of us are gone, and when you turn nineteen, the shop will be officially yours, even the one floor apartment, which I never lived in. It's already straightened out with the lawyers, so you don't have to worry about that. _

_Look at the bright side, you already have the building, and you don't have to browse through the internet on Amazon to buy books to fill the shop with. _

_Think that, when your daughter is born, she will be able to grow in the knowledge of books and grow up loving books just as much as you and I do._

_Bella, I urge you to pursue your dreams. Even though I've known you for only a short amount of time, I know that you are capable of running and taking care of this beloved bookshop. I know that you can do this. You just have to have faith in yourself. _

_Everything in the shop is yours on your nineteenth birthday, which I understand is only a few weeks away. Everything is yours now. You may do whatever you please with it. _

_You are now the official owner of _Wonderful Journey's Bookstore_. Take good care of it, Bella. I know that you can. I've trained you in everything there is to know about running a bookstore: the bookkeeping, the ordering, the stacking and shelving books. _

_You'll do fine. _

_Take care, _

_Abigail Mildred Wilson_

Tears were pouring down my face as I read the letter, but I was still able to read the words. I placed the envelope down on my lap and felt something metal in there. I took the metal thing out of the envelope and saw that it was a key. It was the key to the bookstore. And this key was officially mine. 

"You really want me to do this, don't you?" I asked, looking heavenward. 

And then, I felt a calm feeling overcome me and I knew that I would be able to get through it. I would be able to do this whole mother thing, and I would be able to do it while managing a bookstore. "Isn't that right, Elizabeth?" I asked, looking down at my stomach.

As if in response, Elizabeth kicked me and I laughed. "You know I can do it, can't you? Even though I haven't met you?" I laughed, rubbing my stomach. "I love you, too, Elizabeth."

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Author's Note: Wow, two updates in one day. So? Were you all surprised with what happened? I'm pretty sure that most of you were thinking that Abigail would give Bella that bookstore when she died. On that note, really sorry that I killed Abigail off. But hey, she was old, and I had to go with my plotline for this story. I really liked her. Let's all just take a moment and bow our heads in silence in the memory of Abigail Mildred Wilson.

Anyway, I have decided that this story might have a maximum of 30 chapters, which means this story is soon coming to an end. I may be able to finish the story this weekend. Depends on how much my mom tortures us with homework and on how fast I can write. Next Chapter: What is the place upstairs? What will Bella decide to do with it? You'll have to wait and read to find out. 

Okay, I'll post this and then go to bed. Remember to review and tell me what you thought of the chapter! Goodnight, Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2


	28. The Place Upstairs

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor do I wish to own it.

Author's Note: Thank you to all the readers who review my story. You guys make my day whenever I see a review! Now on with yet another chapter.

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Chapter Twenty-seven: The Place Upstairs

You may think that because I was happy that I owned the bookstore meant that I was happy that Abigail was gone and had generously left me the bookstore to me. Well, you're wrong. I missed Abigail so much; she had become a great friend of mine. I know that everybody has to go eventually, but why did she have to go so soon?

I pondered this in my mind for a few days until I came to the conclusion that maybe it had been her time to go, that she was ready. Maybe she had given the bookstore to me because she knew I was the one meant for that shop and that I would maybe be able to look after it when she was gone, just as she had said in her letter. 

The reason why I had taken the bookstore was because, when I unwillingly signed the papers, I knew Abigail had wanted me to take it for a reason. I only signed because 1) I did it for Abigail, and 2) I knew Alice would have pestered me about it for a million years to come. 

Even though I knew I would be able to get through anything, I was still hesitant for a long while after signing the papers. I tiny bit of me was excited, while the rest was scared, nervous, guilty, and unsure that I had done the right thing. 

I debated for hours with myself about whether or not it was self-centered and in-personal of me to be happy about owning the bookstore and Abigail _not_ owning it. Finally, I came to the conclusion that Abigail had wanted me to have it. Even my grandmother had wanted me to. 

A week after Abigail's death, Alice and I were sitting on the hood of my truck, looking at the bookstore that I had parked my truck in front of. We had just come from a doctor's appointment with Carlisle, where I got another Ultrasound done. Once again, Alice had asked for pictures, at which Carlisle chuckled, amused at Alice's enthusiasm.

"So, you ready to go in?" Alice asked, looking over at me.

I looked back at her and then back at the shop. I hadn't stepped foot in the store ever since Abigail had died, afraid that my hormones would take the better of me and I would break down crying. We had been sitting on my truck for about twenty minutes, and I knew that I couldn't put it off any longer. Sighing, I said, "Sure, let's go."

As we entered the shop, Alice said, "Let's try to find the place upstairs. I'm dying to see what it's like."

I couldn't help but giggle at Alice. Nonetheless, despite the fact that I didn't want to be there, I started looking for anything indicating that there was a door that lead to a 'place' upstairs. 

About a minute later, Alice called me over to the counter. She was pointing to a door that I had thought led to a broom closet. It was a plain brown door, off to the right of the counter, facing one of the side windows that were next to the door leading into the bookstore. 

"Do you think that this is the door that leads up to the 'place' upstairs?" Alice asked, looking over at me. 

I shrugged and asked, "Why don't we find out? I've never opened the door; I just figured that it was a broom closet." 

Alice giggled and turned the doorknob. Surprisingly, it was locked. She looked questioningly at me and I just shrugged. 

"Maybe it needs a key," I said, my hand itching to go for the front pocket of my jeans, where I had been inclined to keep the key to the bookstore; I didn't want to lose it.

"Don't you have a key?" Alice asked. 

Sighing, I pulled the key out of my pocket and put it in the key hole on the doorknob. Surprisingly, it fit. Looking at Alice, I turned the key and it turned. We heard a faint click, indicating that the door had been unlocked. I slowly turned the knob and the door opened. 

Behind it was a set of stairs. I put my hand in to feel for a light switch and found one. I flipped it on and a light bulb came on at the top of the stairs, where I could see another door that obviously led to the 'place' upstairs. 

"Huh. Let's go on up," Alice suggested and started up the stairs, me following reluctantly. 

The door at the top of the stairs was unlocked and when Alice opened the door, she stepped through the doorway. I stayed in the stairwell, leaning against the wall, not wanting to go up. I heard her gasp with delight and say, "This place is _amazing_, Bella! Come on up, you have got to see this place." Her voice was getting lower as she spoke, and I knew that she had walked farther away from the door. 

I took a deep breath and walked up the last two steps. 

As I walked through the doorway, I was met by a bare room. I stepped in further and saw Alice coming down what I assumed was a hallway. She had an excited look on her face and she was grinning for whatever reason. 

"Isn't this place great? It actually has a sink, stove, and cupboards!" Alice pulled me forward to a place that I assumed would have been a kitchen should someone live here. There were white and light blue tiles as a boarder around the counter, which made an L shape. There was a sink and a refrigerator, and it had a window over the sink. The whole 'kitchen' area wasn't that big, but it made it look…I don't know, homey? 

"Someone could live in this place!" Alice said as she walked around the room that I assumed would have been a living room. 

"I guess," I said. 

Alice turned to me, an excited grin on her face. "_You_ could live here!" 

A look of shock came to my face. "What? Are you crazy, Alice?" I asked. 

"Oh come on! You would live above the bookshop. You wouldn't have to drive to work every morning!" Alice said. "There're even rooms that could be turned into bedrooms." She pulled me to the hallway, which was off to the side a little bit from the kitchen. 

She pulled me into the first room. "It's the perfect size for a nursery! There's a window, and I can imagine this being a baby's room. There's three rooms in all up here, plus a bathroom. One could be your room, another one could be the baby's room, and another one could be a guest room or something."

Alice pulled me out of the room and led me down the hall to another room that was the size of my bedroom at Charlie's house. "Wouldn't this be perfect?" she asked as we stood in the middle of the room. 

Elizabeth kicked as if she agreed with Alice and I put my hand on the place where she kicked, giggling. Alice smiled widely and walked over to me. Placing her hand on my extended belly, she said, "Elizabeth seems to agree with me. But what about you?" 

I sighed. "I don't know, Alice. I would have to buy, like, a million things, and I don't have that money."

Alice took my hand and smiled. "Does that mean you'll live here?" 

"I didn't say that. I said that I didn't have the money to live here, let alone buy all the essential things to living in an apartment," I said. "I still have to buy things for the baby, and I have no idea how I'm going to do that. I mean, I still have to pay for the hospital bills." 

I saw Alice's eyes light up, as if she had just gotten a great idea. "You would have a place to live after your still unnamed daughter is born. By the way, have you named the baby yet? I really want to call it something other than 'the baby' or 'she'," Alice said, eyes still gleaming at the idea of whatever was going on inside her head. 

I giggled. "I'm not saying. You'll just have to wait until she is born, and don't you dare try to wheedle it out of me, because I am _so_ not telling. Not even Charlie _or _Edward knows. So basically, no one will know until she is out of my body."

Alice sighed reluctantly, still smiling. "Alright, you win. So, are you going to live here or not?"

I groaned and walked back to the hallway. As I was walking down it, Alice caught up with me and I said, "I don't know, Alice. It's way too expensive."

"You didn't have to buy it. It was given to you, along with the bookstore. So, yes or no?" Alice asked, stopping me and turning me around so I could face her. Her eyes were pleading with me, and I knew that she badly wanted to design a baby's room. Only Alice, only Alice. 

I sighed, thinking it over. Finally, after a couple minutes of staring into space, debating whether or not it would be a good idea to live here or not, I said, rather reluctantly, "I guess."

Alice shrieked with excitement and hugged me. "I knew you would want to. Now we get to go shopping!" 

I slapped a hand to my forehead and laughed as Alice went on and on about the things I would need to buy. In example, for the kitchen, utensils, plates, bowls, cups, pots and pans, etc. For the living room, a couch, a chair, a lamp, and, of course, a TV. And for the bathroom, trashcan, etc. And then she rattled on about the things needed for the baby's room.

Finally, I got fed up about her rambling that I began to walk back down the hallway and towards the kitchen area, Alice following. 

"This is so exciting!" she said. 

"Hmhm," I said. "You know, I'm going to have to tell Charlie that I'm moving out. I mean, I've been thinking about moving out for a while, because I don't really want to disturb Charlie with a screaming baby during the middle of the night."

Alice giggled. "I suppose you should."

We spent the next few minutes walking around the 'apartment' and imagining what would go where. I had to admit that just a _little_ bit of Alice's excitement was rubbing off on me. 

When we were leaving the bookstore a few minutes later, Alice asked me excitedly, "Want to go shopping now?" 

I rolled my eyes and proceeded to lock the door with the key. "Alice, I need to tell my dad first. He knows that Abigail left me the bookstore, and everything in it, but he doesn't know about the place upstairs yet. How do you think he would react if I said to him over dinner, 'Guess what, Dad, I'm moving out after the baby's born.' Yeah, he would react well. Carlisle would probably diagnose him with a concussion. Besides my feet are already killing me."

Alice burst out laughing. "He probably would. But tomorrow, we're going shopping!" 

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I think I'm going to have to suck up to Charlie if I want to make it out through that conversation about moving out."

Later that day, I was in the kitchen, getting ready to make supper. I had decided on making Grandma Swan's recipe for stroganoff. The thought of stroganoff was slightly nauseating, but if I planned on sucking up to Charlie, I had to make it; it was one of Charlie's favorite foods, and I was sure it would work.

When he came home from the station, he strode into the kitchen, taking a deep whiff of the smells wafting through the kitchen. "Is that stroganoff that I smell?" he asked. 

I nodded. 

Charlie enjoyed his dinner. After he had forced down two large helpings of the stroganoff, he pushed his plate forward and sat back in his chair. "That was good, Bella. Now what is it that you want to talk about?" He looked at me, and I saw the curiosity in his eyes. "You obviously are sucking up to me; you always make stroganoff when you have something to tell me."

Darn, he caught me. "Well, you know how Abigail left me the bookshop?" I asked. _Might as well start out simple_, I thought. Charlie nodded. "Okay. She also left me the place above it. It's perfect for living in, and Alice sort of wheedled me into living there. She said that I wouldn't have to drive all the way to the bookstore when I opened it."

Charlie looked at me for a long moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. "So, you're telling me that you're planning on moving into the place above the bookshop?" I nodded. "I think that's great, Bells. You'll get a chance raise your daughter in a place other than her grandfather's house."

I looked at him, slightly surprised. I thought that he would pass out and bonk his head on the floor at the mention of his only daughter moving out. "So, you're not mad that I'm moving out straight out of high school, when I'm not even going to college?"

"No. Is there any other reason why you're moving out?" Charlie asked, giving me a pointed look. 

"Well, I'm moving out because I don't really want to disturb you after the baby is born. I heard that babies like to cry at all hours of the night, and I kind of want you to keep your sanity," I said. 

Charlie smiled. "Oh, you wouldn't disturb me. I put up with it for the first few months after you were born. Even though I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't drive me crazy, I understand you completely."

"You do?" I asked. 

Charlie chuckled and reached across the table to ruffle my hair. "Just promise me that you'll stay here until she is born."

I smiled. "Maybe, we'll see. Depends on how long it takes to buy all the essentials of living in an apartment. Alice is really excited about taking me shopping tomorrow. Just so you know it was _not_ my idea to go shopping."

Charlie just laughed. 

Before I went to bed that night, I was leaning against the head board of my bed, making a list of things that I would need. I knew it was silly, but I wanted to be organized because who knew how crazy Alice would go the next day. I made a list for every room: the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom, the bedroom, the baby's bedroom. 

When I was finished, I settled back down on the bed on my side, trying to find a comfortable position. As soon as I did, I drifted off into an easy and comfortable sleep.

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Author's Note: So? How did you like this chapter? If you were wondering, there's going to be a further description of the apartment above the bookstore when Bella moves in. To give you an idea of what it looks like: when you walk through the door, you walk into the 'living room'. Off to the left is the 'kitchen'. It has a stove, a refrigerator, a sink and cupboards, and the counter makes an 'L' shape. It's not very big, just big enough to fit into a small apartment. Inbetween the kitchen and the living room is a hallway. The first room you come to is a bedroom' a little further down the hall is a small bathroom, just big enough for a toilet, tub, and a sink.

Anyways, the next chapter should be up soon. Since I've done all my homework and I write this story whenever I have time, maybe it will be up tonight. The next chapter: Baby Shower! Now, I've never been to a baby shower before, so I don't know what one is like, but I hope that it will turn out okay. Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2 P.S. Remember to Review! 

P.P.S. If anyone wants to know what happened at the mall the day before Edward's birthday, I'm going to be posting it as a one shot and side story. I might add more to it. In example, Bella going shopping with Alice, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett for the things needed for the apartment. Okay, enought babling, Until Next Time! 


	29. Surprise Shower

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. 

**Author's Note: **Thank you to **letthemusicplay**, **KLuTZ 122**, and **EdwardDazzlesMe** for pointing out to me that Bella said Elizabeth's name in front of some of the Cullen's and then said that they didn't know the name. I'm really sorry about that. But we all know that the Cullen's, Charlie, or anyone else knows the name of Bella's daughter. That mistake will be corrected in future chapters. 

**Enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter Twenty-eight: Surprise Shower

I sat bolt upright, sweat running down my face, my hand flying instantly to my stomach. Looking down at my round, yet small belly, I breathed a sigh of relief. I still had Elizabeth, and that was never going to change. My dreams had been disturbed by _him_ again. That had been the fourth time that week. Pregnancy did bring on some pretty weird dreams at times, but these were always the worst. 

Sighing, I looked at the clock and it read 9:36 a.m. Elizabeth kicked me, indicating that now I was awake, she was awake as well. My stomach grumbled, letting me know that it was hungry. I chuckled, rubbing my stomach. "Alright, alright, I'll feed you, little girly."

It was a week before the start of September, and I planned on moving into the apartment above the bookstore a few days after. Alice and I had agreed that I should be settled in the apartment by the time the baby was born. We had already bought the essential stuff – like a couch, comfy chair, television, kitchen supplies, bed for the master bedroom, etc. – with the help of none other than Esme, Jasper, Emmett, and Edward. It had been then that Esme, Alice, and I had decided that we would _never_ bring the three boys along with us on a shopping trip ever again. 

The stuff would be arriving at the apartment the next day, and that meant that I would soon be able to move in. I was a week away from being eight months pregnant, and my stomach had gotten a little rounder since Abigail's death. It was still small for an average sized pregnant belly, but I knew that it was because Elizabeth had inherited my genes and was small. 

As I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, I saw a piece of paper on the table. I picked it up and read: 

_Hey Bella. _

_I got called in to the station this morning. I figured that I should leave a note instead of waking you. I should be home at the usual time. _

_Have a good day, Dad._

Ha, typical of Charlie to leave very short notes. I grabbed some eggs from the refrigerator and a frying pan from below the stove and set to work on making some scrambled eggs, which I had been craving for a while. 

When I was done eating my breakfast, it was ten o'clock. I placed my plate in the sink and went upstairs to take a shower. 

Half hour later, dressed in a pair of maternity jeans and a pale blue maternity t-shirt, I leaned against the head board of my bed. Opening to the first page of _Heidi_, I started to read, perfectly content with what I was doing. Just as I was half way through the first chapter, my phone rang in my pocket and I dug it out, annoyed for some reason. Looking at the caller ID and seeing that it was Alice, I flipped it open and said, "Yes, Alice?" 

"Hey. Where are you?" Alice's voice came. Her voice sounded excited. 

"Well, I'm currently sitting on my bed, extremely comfy, reading a book. Why?" I asked. 

"Come on downstairs," said Alice. 

What? I got up off my bed and traveled slowly down the stairs because of my starting-to-swell ankles. I opened the front door to reveal a grinning Alice.

"Hello! Come on," she said. She began to pull me out the front door because of her obvious excitement. 

"Alice, slow down. I sort of need shoes," I said. 

Alice giggled and said, "Good point. Go get your shoes."

I went back into the house and grabbed my shoes, sitting down on the stairs to put them on. After I made sure that I had them on the right feet, I walked out the door with Alice. "Where are we going, Alice?" I asked as she opened the front seat door of her Porsche and gestured me to get in. 

She didn't answer until she was sitting in the driver's seat, almost bouncing up and down with excitement. "Not telling. You're just going to have to find out for yourself. Now put this on." She handed me a long strip of black cloth. 

I looked at her skeptically as she backed out of the driveway. "What's this for?" 

She only grinned and said, "Just put it on, Bella. I promise that I'm not kidnapping you. Edward made me promise not to put the blindfold on you, but I couldn't resist. Now put it on."

I sighed and asked, "How long do I have to wear this thing?" 

"Not that long. Put it on."

Reluctantly, I put the blindfold over my eyes and tied it around my hair, which was up in a ponytail. I didn't ask any more questions, knowing that Alice wouldn't answer them. All I could do was sit and wonder where we were going. 

About fifteen minutes later, I felt the car stop and I heard Alice say, "Okay, Bella. We're here, but don't take your blindfold off." Excitement was in her voice, and I could tell that something was up. 

The car door opened, closed, and then I felt myself being pulled out of the car. "Alice, what is going on?" 

"You'll see." I felt myself walk across the ground and then I was instructed to walk up. 

"Where are we, Alice?" I asked as I felt my hand run into what felt like a railing. I knew that it was stairs and so I did as Alice instructed me to. Alice didn't answer, but she opened what I assumed was a door and then I was being led once again. 

It wasn't until my feet hit carpet that I could only guess that I was in some carpeted area. 

And then the blindfold was taken off of me, and I heard numerous voices shout, "Surprise!"

I had to squeeze my eyes shut for a second because of the sudden brightness. When I opened them, I saw that I was standing in the Cullen's living room. I saw pink balloons and a huge banner that said, "It's a girl!" In the middle of the living room, with huge grins on their faces, stood Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Charlie, Renee, and Phil. They were all standing behind a table that had about a million presents. 

Despite my shock, I felt a smile come to my face. I turned to Alice, who was grinning. "What is all this?" I asked. 

"It's a baby shower, silly," Alice said. 

I smiled. "So this is why you haven't pestered me about going shopping with you, Alice." She grinned and nodded. 

For the next two hours, the shower went on with excitement and happiness. Everybody laughed and talked with each other. The only thing about the baby shower that was excruciating to live through was opening the presents. There was a _huge_ pile of gifts. 

In all, I had received a lot of baby clothes – part of which were from designer clothing stores - and baby blankets from Alice and Rosalie, a walkie-talkie system, baby bottles, and in the sink bathtub, a diaper bag, and pacifiers from Esme and Carlisle; toys for when the baby was old enough to play with them and a teddy bear – one that surprisingly had no fluff in it – from Emmett and Edward; another bear – that thankfully was fluffed – and children's books from Jasper; a crib that had the mattress in it and mattress sheets for the crib from Charlie and Phil; a stroller, car seat, and photo album from Renee. She made me promise to fill the album with lots of pictures of the baby. 

Two hours later, the gifts were all unwrapped. After I said a teary thank you to everyone in the room, Esme announced that it was time for cake, and she, Carlisle, and Rosalie disappeared into the kitchen. 

Alice came over to sit next to me on the couch. She was still grinning with excitement. 

"I can't thank you guys enough for all of this," I told her. "There was no way that I would have been able to buy even a small part of it all." To my embarrassment, I felt the tears come to my eyes. 

Alice smiled and hugged me. "There's no need to thank us for it. You deserve it. Esme, Rosalie, and I had _so_ much fun planning this baby shower. We would have done it anyway, even if you _could_ have afforded it. We're really glad that you had a good time."

I smiled back at her. "I am having a good time."

Alice grinned just as Renee walked over. "Hello, Mrs. Dwyer."

"Hello Alice, Bella," Renee said as she positioned herself behind the couch. "So how's the mommy-to-be, Alice?" she asked, a smile on her face. 

Alice grinned again and said, "She's really good."

"So, how far along are you, Bella? You have a nice round belly there," Renee said, placing a hand on my belly. 

I could see Alice trying to keep her laughter in. "I'm a week away from beginning my eighth month. And she _really_ likes to be active during the night," I said. "I'm really glad I'm almost done with the part where she's in my stomach."

Renee and Alice burst out laughing. 

"Oh, no," Alice moaned. 

"What?" I asked. 

"Jasper is betting against Edward and Emmett on who can eat the most pieces of cake," Alice said, rolling her eyes.

"Geez, things never change, do they?" I asked, and Alice nodded her head in agreement. Renee, however, looked at me questioningly. 

"What do you mean by that, Bella?" she asked. 

Alice and I laughed, and then Alice explained. "The boys have been taking bets ever since they learned what it meant. Ever since Bella got pregnant, they've placed a bet on what the sex of the baby would be, and numerous other things. I think they're betting on what Bella is naming her daughter."

Renee raised an eyebrow looking amused, but didn't say anything. 

In the end, Jasper ended up winning the bet – he had five pieces of the _really_ sugary cake that Esme and Alice had baked. Needless to say, he didn't feel too great afterward. Alice and I just rolled our eyes and chuckled when he announced that he now had a stomachache. Currently, Alice was trying to wheedle the baby's name out of me. 

"Come on, I promise I won't say a word to anyone," she pleaded. 

I shook my head. "No, Alice. Remember what happened the last time when you promised that you would keep the secret that I was pregnant? You ended up telling Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie over breakfast."

Alice grinned sheepishly. "That was one time. I promise that I won't tell anyone."

Once again, I shook my head with finality. "Not a chance. I'm not risking telling you my daughter's name, lest you tell everybody. You're going to have to wait until she's born."

"Alright, fine. I guess you have a point. I guess I wouldn't tell anyone what my child's name was going to be. It is a girl's name isn't it?" she asked. I laughed and nodded. 

A couple hours later, the baby shower ended when Renee and Phil said that they needed to get back to their hotel; they had an early flight heading back down to Florida. Charlie had to go down to the station for a few hours, until the night guard showed up. He left, telling me that he would be home around 7:30.

Currently, I was back at Charlie's house, sitting on the padded whicker couch. Edward was sitting next to me, arm wrapped around my shoulder. My head was leaning against his chest and I was in a very comfy position at that moment. We were just sitting there, not saying anything, enjoying each other's company. 

"Edward?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Yes?" he asked, looking down at me. 

"I want to thank you guys for the baby shower today. You don't know how much it means to me," I said. 

He chuckled. "Bella, Bella. You don't have to say thank you. We already know how grateful you are."

"But I still want to say thank you. I don't think I could have afforded any of the stuff."

Edward grinned and said, "I know."

"Now I have to figure out what to do with everything. I don't want to just leave everything in your living room. That wouldn't be fair to you guys," I said. 

"Oh, don't worry about that. We have everything taken care of," he said. I looked up at him, and I saw that he was grinning to himself. I wondered what he was thinking about, but I didn't ask him. 

I flipped open my phone to see the time. It glowed the time back out at me: 5:12 p.m. Closing it and placing it on the cushion next to me, I said, "Do you know what I would love right now?" 

"Nope, I don't. What would it be?" Edward asked. 

"Pop-tarts," I said, gazing off into space, dreaming about the heavenly sounding craving. 

"Pop-tarts, huh?" he asked. 

"What? I'm hungry. And this little baby is demanding Pop-tarts. I think there's a box of chocolate Pop-tarts on top of the fridge."

He laughed and stood up. I tried to stand up as well, but ended up needing help. I held out my hands for Edward and he laughed again, pulling me up to my feet. 

We sat at the kitchen table a couple minutes later, each enjoying chocolate Pop-tarts. 

"So, what's the name for the baby?" Edward asked. 

I looked at him and sighed. "Why does everyone insist on knowing the name for my baby?" 

He grinned. "Because everybody is excited about the baby, and since we know that it's a girl, then we've wanted to know what name you've decided on." He turned his dazzling smile on me, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to resist – his smile was yet again making my heart stop for a split second.

I sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you. But you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone."

Edward put a hand to his chest and puffed out his chest, putting on a mock serious look. "Will do. Now what is it?"

I giggled. "The name I've chosen is Elizabeth Jamie Marie Swan."

Edward tilted his head to the side for a moment before saying, "I like it. It suits her."

I nodded, smiling. "Elizabeth seemed to think so. I said the name out loud and she kicked me as if to say she liked the name."

Edward grinned. 

When he finished his Pop-tart a few minutes later, Edward said that he needed to go. "I said that I would help Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie with something. Do you mind being here by yourself?" he asked as I walked him to the door.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll be fine, Edward. Charlie's going to be home in a couple hours anyway."

"Alright. I'll call you later," he said. His lips captured mine and I melted into the kiss. 

I giggled into the kiss and then broke away, placing a hand on my stomach. "You like to intervene whenever I kiss Edward, don't you little girly?" I asked, looking down at my stomach. 

Edward laughed and placed his hand on top of mine. "I have a feeling that she's going to be active when she's older."

"I don't think so. One of the things she has probably inherited from me is my clumsiness. Isn't that right, Lizzy?" I asked, patting the top of my stomach. Elizabeth just kicked in response. I giggled and looked back up at Edward. "See you."

He grinned and kissed me again, this time getting away with it. "See you."

And with that, he walked out the door. I closed it behind him and traveled up the stairs to my bedroom, thinking about a nice long nap.

**Author's Note: **

And so concludes another chapter. Don't worry - that wasn't the end of the story. That was just the end of that chapter. How did you all like it? The baby shower part was written on paper, and I had to revise a couple things in it. I'm not that good writing on paper... And I hope that the part after the baby shower was a good enough B/E fluff scene for all you people who love fluff. 

Next Chapter: Bella moves in to the apartment, and someone finally finds out about her pregnancy. Who will it be? The next chapter should be out tomorrow hopefully. Remember to Review! Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2 


	30. Moving In

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight. I just own Elizabeth and _Wonderful Journey's Bookstore_.

Chapter Twenty-nine: Moving In 

"Bella, are you alright?" 

I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and I knew it was Edward who had spoken. Without looking at him, I said, "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just saying good-bye to the place that changed my life." My voice didn't have a smile on it, and I knew for certain that my face didn't have one.

"This is the place where you found out you were having Elizabeth, isn't it?"

Without looking up at him, I nodded and said, "I was sitting in that chair, waiting for the answers I knew the tests held. After five excruciating minutes, my future life showed up by two pink lines. That was when I called Alice."

After a moment, Edward answered. "Are you ready to go?" 

I looked at the chair for thirty seconds more before I looked at Edward and said, "Yeah, let's go."

It was three days after the baby shower, meaning that it was almost September, and meaning that I was now almost exactly eight months pregnant - my belly was the size of a small basketball, and it was now useless trying to hide it with baggy sweaters. Edward and Alice were to start college at Forks Community College on the 5th of September, two days after Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were due back at college for their second year of college. I, the pregnant one, wasn't going to college, but opening a bookstore. 

Speaking of which, I'm moving into the apartment. I had spent the last three days boxing up my belonging – which wasn't that much. Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Esme, and Rosalie were helping me to set things up around the apartment. I had managed to convince Alice and Rosalie – who were both fanatic about shopping for furniture – to shop at stores that were really cheap in selling their furniture – and Esme _and_ Edward agreed with me. I had also managed to convince them to let me pay for a lot of the stuff – I would feel really guilty if I had let them pay for _all_ of it, especially since it would probably take me years to pay them all back for it. 

We rode to the bookstore in my truck. Edward had insisted that he drive, saying something about how pregnant woman shouldn't drive. I rolled my eyes at this and, even though I told him that I had been driving in the truck my whole pregnancy, I reluctantly handed him the keys to the truck and let him drive. 

As Edward pulled the truck into the little driveway that was beside the bookstore, we saw Jasper come down the set of wooden stairs that lined the brick wall. We had realized that it lead to the kitchen, meaning that one wouldn't have to go through the store to get upstairs. 

"Finally you guys are here. What took you so long? Alice is about to go crazy because apparently you were supposed to be here five minutes ago," he said as Edward and I got out of the truck. 

I rolled my eyes. "Edward insisted on driving at, like, one mile per hour."

Jasper laughed as Edward glared at him. "Our little Eddie, driving at one mile per hour? Thought I would never see the day he would do that," he said, putting a hand to his chest in mock surprise and admiration. 

I giggled just as Esme appeared around the doorframe. 

"Hello, Bella dear. Edward, stop glaring at your brother. You guys better get up here before –"

Esme was cut off by Alice barreling through the door and down the steps.

She came to a stop in front of me, hands on her hips. "Where have you been, young lady? You were supposed to be here five minutes ago. Now come and see. It's really fantastic." She began pulling me up the stairs excitedly, leaving Jasper and Edward behind, laughing.

When we reached the landing, Alice let go of my hand and bounced happily into the kitchen. Esme laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leading me through the door. 

As soon as my feet took two steps into the kitchen, I was engulfed in a humungous bone-crunching, fetus damaging hug. "Emmett! Let me go!" I said, my voice muffled because my face was squished against Emmett's chest.

He let me go and said, "Hello, fetus incubator!" 

Jasper and Edward came through the door at that moment, each carrying a box. 

"Emmett, enough with the 'incubator' joke. It's getting slightly old," Rosalie said as she entered the kitchen. "Hey, Bella."

"Hi, Rosalie," I said. 

"So are we going to give Bella the grand tour of the place or not?" Jasper asked as Alice appeared in the kitchen. 

In an instant, they all had grins on their faces. They all nodded and then Alice and Rosalie each grabbed my arms and began pulling me to the 'living room'. 

Even though I had been there when the furniture arrived, they had all forced me to go back home, claiming that I shouldn't be on my feet for too long. But I had never seen the furniture in place, so I was really awed at the way everything looked.

The living room was painted a light tan, going perfect with the carpet that had been spread across the hardwood floor. On one wall was a couch that looked extremely comfy, and a table that had a lamp on it was next to it. In the corner, there was a comfy chair. On the wall that was facing the kitchen, was a bookshelf that had yet to be filled, though on the bottom two shelves there were DVD's and a couple VHS's. There was another table next to the bookshelf that had another lamp. And then, on the wall across from the couch was a TV sitting on a stand. Underneath it was a combined DVD and VCR, already hooked up. 

"Wow," I said. It was all I could say. 

"You like it?" asked Jasper, excitement in his voice. 

All I could manage was a nod before I was pulled out of the living room and into the hallway, where I was led into what I assumed was my bedroom. In this room, the walls were also painted tan, but it was a slightly darker shade of the one in the living room. When one walked into the room, the first thing you saw on the left was a bedside table with a lamp on it. Next to the table was the queen sized bed. Across the room was my dresser, mirror attached and everything. Next to the dresser in the corner was a thin, tall floor lamp. My bookshelf that I had in my room at Charlie's was on one wall, and I noticed that it had all my books in it. All that was missing was my computer desk and computer, which were in the back of my truck, along with the few boxes that I had packed, including the large box that contained all my clothes – maternity and non-maternity.

"And this," Alice said as she walked around the bed to the door that was next to the bookshelf. "This is the closet."

The next stop was the bathroom. We only stopped there briefly, because the bathroom was too small to fit all of us, but, from what we could see, there were all the necessary items for a bathroom in there. 

"Okay. This is the room that Rosalie and I have been dying to show you," Alice said as she stopped in front of the last door. She had this excited look in her eyes, and she was grinning widely. I looked around at the other faces and saw that they as well were grinning with excitement. Alice paused for dramatic effect before opening the door and motioning for me to enter the room. 

I held back a surprised gasp as I entered the room. I looked around the room and realized that it was my daughter's future bedroom. 

On the wall facing the door, there was a window that had light pink see-through curtains, letting the dull light sink through them, lighting the room. The walls were painted a very soft yellow, going perfectly with the curtains. There was the crib that Charlie and Phil had bought me, and the sheets were already on the mattress. There was a changing table that I assumed had been bought by Alice, Rosalie, or Esme, complete with diapers below it on the tray, along with baby wipes. On the dresser that was next to the changing table, there was a small lamp along with an empty picture frame. On the floor below the window, there was a pink wooden box that I assumed had toys in it. On the lid, there were the two bears that Emmett and Jasper had given me. 

Alice had come in behind me, as well as the others. I turned to her, tears of happiness in my eyes. "This is amazing. Thank you so much," I said. 

They all grinned, happy that I liked it. 

"Here's a cabinet that has all the blankets and stuff," Alice said, pointing to a cabinet that I hadn't noticed. 

I smiled. But there was a question nagging at the back of my mind. "How did you guys get in? You don't have a key."

They all broke out into laughter, and Alice sheepishly grinned and handed me the key that let one into the bookshop and the apartment. I blinked a couple times. "_That's_ where my key went. You swiped it from me. No wonder why I couldn't find it."

As we walked back out to the kitchen a couple minutes later, Esme said, "We saved the best for you, knowing that you would take joy in it."

"And what would that be?" I asked, wondering what else could possibly be left. 

They grinned and Alice opened the refrigerator and freezer doors. "Grocery shopping," she said simply. 

"I completely forgot that I sort of need food if I need to live," I said, feeling a blush creep up into my face. 

Fifteen minutes later, after instructing the boys to bring the boxes, computer, and desk upstairs to the bedroom, Alice, Esme, Rosalie, and I left the apartment to go grocery shopping, thinking that the boys would know how to do a simple a task as that. 

We were three aisles into the grocery store when I felt a slight twinge in my stomach. "Ow," I muttered as I stopped the cart and put a hand on my stomach. 

Alice stopped her cart as well and she, along with Esme and Rosalie, looked at me, worried expressions on their faces. "Are you okay?" Alice asked. 

I nodded. "Yeah, I just had this weird twinge in my stomach. That's all." They still looked unconvinced, and throughout the rest of the grocery shopping, they kept on shooting me worried looks. 

As we were walking down an aisle halfway through the store, we heard a voice from behind us call out our names. We turned around and that was when I was I wanted to crawl into a very deep hole and die. It was Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory, the two loudmouths of Forks High. Lord, please help me.

I felt my face turn deep red from embarrassment – I had forgotten my only baggy sweater that could conceal my baby bump back at the apartment. 

As the two girls approached, they were about to say something when they caught sight of my stomach. Their eyes turned wide with surprise. 

"Are you pregnant, Bella?" Lauren asked, staring at my stomach, not taking her eyes away from it. 

"No, she's just gained a _ton_ of weight during the past eight months, Lauren. Of course she's pregnant," Alice said. I turned my head to look at her and I saw that she was scowling at Jessica and Lauren. Rosalie was doing the same thing. Even Esme was scowling at them. 

Esme put an arm around my shoulder's protectively as Jessica said, "How can you be pregnant and be so fat? We only just got out of high school three months ago."

I glared at her. 

"Unless…you were pregnant before we graduated. Were you pregnant before you came to Forks? Is that why you came back? Because you were pregnant? Please tell me it isn't Edward's. I would _die_ of embarrassment," Lauren said. 

My glare deepened as my hormones began to take over me. All I had to do was walk away and calm myself down. I hated being reminded of who Elizabeth's father was."It's not Edward's. Are you happy?" 

With that, I turned around and pushed my cart out of the aisle. I went into the next aisle and leaned against the shelves holding green beans, closing my eyes. My secret was out. Now the whole town would know that I was pregnant. How could my life get any worse? 

I tried to act normal as we finished the shopping by forcing myself to join in on the conversation between Alice, Rosalie, and Esme. As we were loading the groceries into the back of Edward's Volvo – Alice had convinced him to let her drive it – I wanted to cry, but I held them back for when I was alone tonight. 

After a couple minutes of forcing myself to talk, I fell silent, knowing that if I talked any longer, I would burst out into tears, which I didn't want to do in front of them.

When we walked back through the door into the kitchen carrying the bags full of food, we knew that it had been a bad idea to leave the three boys alone; they were nowhere to be seen. 

"Where in the world are they?" Esme said, setting the two bags that were in her arm down on the round kitchen table. 

And then we heard rock music coming from the direction of the bedroom. We looked at each other, set the rest of the bags down and then headed towards the bedroom, Alice grabbing the digital camera off the counter. 

We _very_ quietly opened the door to the room and we had to stifle our giggles. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper we _dancing,_ in the middle of the floor in my stretchy maternity skirts. They were rocking along with the music that was playing from my CD player and looking completely idiotic. 

Alice grinned and snapped a picture of them just as they did a wild move, almost knocking over the floor lamp in the process. The flash brightened the room and the boys froze where they were. The looks on their faces were so priceless that Esme, Alice, Rosalie, and I burst out laughing.

"You didn't just take a picture of us did you?" asked Jasper. 

We nodded.

Alice spent the next fifteen minutes getting chased by Edward, Emmett, and Jasper. She finally slipped it to me as she ran past me and I took the hint and quickly hid it behind the pillow on my bed. 

The chase ended when Alice knocked into one of the bags on the kitchen table and it fell to the floor, spilling out a loaf of bread, sandwich meat, and a bag of tomatoes. 

After all the food was put away into the correct places and the refrigerator was plugged in, the Cullen's left after I assured them that I would be fine; Charlie was coming over that night for supper. Esme told me, as she walked out the door, not to hesitate to call them if I had any questions or if I needed anything. I told her thank you for the millionth time that day, and then I was left alone in my own home. 

Two days later, it was the first day of September. 

It was three o'clock in the afternoon, and I was sitting on the couch reading Heidi when I felt a twinge in my stomach. I placed a hand on my stomach, and Elizabeth kicked at where my hand was placed. Shrugging, I turned my attention back to my book. I figured that it was nothing. The slight twinges had occurred a couple times earlier that day, and I thought that it was probably normal. 

Half hour later, a pain shot through my mid-section. I dropped my book and grasped at my stomach. This was _definitely_ not normal. After about twenty minutes, the pain didn't come, so I stood up from the couch without toppling over and made it to the edge of the counter. 

And that was when another pain went through my mid-section. I grabbed onto the counter with one hand grasping at my stomach. It disappeared after a couple seconds and I was able to breathe again. What was happening? I thought to myself as I tried to remember where I had left my cell phone. 

I went to the sink and filled it up with a glass of water before going back to the couch and sitting back down, intent on reading my book. I had been sitting down for about fifteen minutes when there came a knock at the door. I got up slowly, and went to the door. 

Halfway there, another pain shot through my mid-section, and I gasped out in pain, having to grab hold of the counter for support. 

"Ow," I mumbled. It disappeared a couple seconds later and I was able to breathe again. I managed to gasp out, "Come in."

The door opened, and Edward, Alice, and Jasper stood in the door. As soon as they saw me leaning against the counter for support, looks of worry crossed their faces. 

"Bella?" Edward asked as he stepped into the kitchen, Alice and Jasper following suit. "Are you alright?" Worry lined his beautiful face, and it was evident in his voice.

I straightened up before I answered. "I think."

And that was when I felt a wet, warm fluid trickle down my leg and accumulate into a puddle on the floor. I knew it had happened. This _can't_ happen now. I looked down at the floor and then back up at the worried and now surprised faces of Edward, Alice, and Jasper. I felt my face redden with embarrassment. 

"I think my water just broke."

Oh, yes, just completely lovely.

**Author's Note:**

Yet again, so concludes another chapter. I hope you all liked it, and I hope you all got a clearer image of what Bella's apartment looks like. 

Next Chapter: I think you can guess, it's basically obvious. ELIZABETH IS COMING! Yay! The next chapter should be out soon, I hope. I know this was basically a cliffhanger, and a really good one at that, too. Remember to review! Until Next Time: NerdyGuRu2

P.S. - Question: Should I write a sequal and tell about Bella and Edward's - and of course, little Elizabeth and the rest of the Cullen's - lives? Let me know in your review for this chapter, because I already have ideas for a sequal. But I'm not going to do it unless I get enough votes. Happy Easter!


	31. Welcome To The World

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight. I just own Elizabeth, and I don't think Bella would be too happy if she found that out.

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the little indentations on several of the paragraphs. You'll see what I mean when you get there. My computer randomly started doing that, and I couldn't fix it. But it thankfully straightened itself out after a while. So, once again, sorry about the little indentations: it won't happen again. 

**Enjoy The Chapter! It stayed true to itself and turned out good!**

Chapter Thirty: Welcome To The World

It took exactly sixty seconds for the fact that my water broke processed in the minds of Edward, Jasper, and Alice. They had different reactions once it did sink in – Edward and Jasper's faces visibly lost all their color while Alice, being the excited person that she was, began squealing and jumping up and down with excitement.

After forty seconds of squealing, Alice snapped into action and said, "You're going to have to go to the hospital, Bella."

My eyes went wide and I said, "No! No hospitals, Alice. Not until it really is time."

Alice put her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes, saying, "Bella. It _is_ time. Your water just broke. You're having the still un-named baby."

It was then that the boys decided to snap to attention. And then…they began freaking out. Normally, this would have been really funny to watch, but I was in no mood to laugh at the idiots that the two boys were making themselves.

"Ow," I moaned as another contraction came through me. I slid down to the floor, my knees unable to hold me up any longer. Alice bent down next to me and helped me breathe through it. Meanwhile, I grabbed her hand and squeezed it as hard as I could. Nobody had ever told how painful labor was. 

"Breathe," Alice said. 

After the contraction ended thirty seconds later, she added, "We need to get you to the hospital, Bella. You need Carlisle." Then she turned to the boys, who were now pacing back and forth rapidly, muttering incoherent things. "Boys! Get yourselves together – you're acting like complete idiots and it isn't helping Bella. We need to get her to the hospital _now_!" 

The boys immediately got control of themselves – no one messed with Alice when she was like that. 

Forty seconds later, Edward backed his Volvo out of the driveway. Jasper was sitting in the front with him, and Alice and I were sitting in the back. 

"How far apart are your contractions, Bella?" Jasper asked me. 

"About every twelve minutes now," I said. 

As we turned onto the road the hospital was located on, another contraction went through my abdomen, causing me to grab Alice's hand and scream out in pain – I couldn't help it, labor was something that I _never _in my _entire_ life want to again. 

The contraction made Edward and Jasper start to freak out again and Alice finally got so fed up with them that she said, "QUIET! You're not helping Bella any."

Edward pulled the Volvo up in front of the emergency room entrance. Apparently, Jasper had called ahead because two nurses and a wheelchair were waiting for us. 

"We're going to put you in the wheelchair, honey," said the nurse who was holding onto the handles of the wheelchair.

Five minutes later, I was wheeled into a room on the third floor where the maternity ward was, Alice, Edward, and Jasper behind us. 

"Alright, we need to get you into a gown and up on to the bed," the blonde nurse said. Turning to Edward, she said, "Daddy, would you like to help her change?" 

I looked at Edward just as he vigorously shook his head and said, "I'm not the father."

"I'll do it," Alice cheerfully volunteered. I restrained from glaring at her cheerfulness. 

As soon as Alice said that, Edward and Jasper quickly escaped from the room, muttering something about calling everyone. 

"Chickens. Afraid of a little childbirth, ha, bless them," Alice said as the nurse handed her a gown. 

It took a couple minutes to get me into the gown and comfortably onto the bed. Just as I laid back into the bed, another contraction came on. Alice held out her hand voluntarily and let me squeeze the life out of it for the next thirty seconds. 

"Sorry," I said. 

Alice giggled. "It's alright. I guess I might as well get used to it. I have a feeling that this is going to take awhile." She only giggled some more as I glared at her as Jasper and Edward poked their heads around the door and asked if it was safe to come in. "It's alright," she said, and they came in, looking grateful that they had left the room. 

"So, it took you three minutes to call everyone?" I asked, a smile playing on my mouth. 

"Well…um, no?" said Jasper, looking sheepish. 

Alice and I laughed. 

The nurse hooked me up to all the necessary machines and, before she left the room, said, "Oh, before I forget, the doctor will be in to check on you in a few minutes." And with that, she left the room.

Jasper and Edward sank down into chairs next near the bed, both letting out deep breaths. "That was terrible. I don't know how women get through having to be hooked up to monitors and be around blood. It must be torture for them, having to go through all the pain," Edward said, and next to him, Jasper agreed. 

I glared at them. "Want to switch places? Then you can feel the pains of childbirth."

Edward and Jasper cowered back into their seats, apparently frightened by the look on my face. 

There was a knock on the door and Carlisle entered the room. 

"Hello, Bella. How are we feeling?" he asked in his British accent. He sounded cheerful and it made me highly annoyed – how could people be so darn cheerful when someone was having a baby? 

Even though I was glad that he was there, I would never get over the feeling of embarrassment at the thought of him…delivering my baby. "I feel like I'm having a baby."

Carlisle chuckled, the smile that was forming on his face growing. "That's generally the feeling. How long have you had the contractions?"

"Since three thirty," I said.

Carlisle nodded. "Well, let's see how far along you are." I felt a blush creep up into my face.

Immediately, Jasper and Edward escaped from the room. Alice giggled, and told me that they would be right outside. 

A couple moments later, Carlisle told me, "One centimeter dilated. You're going to be in for a rough night, Bella."

I groaned. "Great."

Carlisle just chuckled and left the room after telling me that he would be back in awhile to see how I was doing. 

After he left, Edward walked in. When I asked them where Alice and Jasper had gone, he said, "They went to call everyone. How are you holding up?"

I shrugged. "I'm okay for the moment. This isn't exactly a nice feeling ride. It's more like a rocky ride. Up and down, up and down, up and down and to the side. Just be lucky that you'll _never_ have to do this as long as you live." Edward chuckled and pulled a chair up close to the hospital bed. 

And then a thought occurred to me. "Edward?" 

"Hmm?" he asked. 

"Will I be able to do this?" I asked him. Tears were beginning to fill my eyes, and I felt like bursting into tears right then and there, but I knew that it was my newly elevated pregnancy hormones. "I'm terrified." 

Edward smiled and put his hand on my cheek. "You'll be able to do it. We'll all be here to help you."

I smiled a watery smile and sighed. "I guess you're right, but I was supposed to be nineteen by the time Elizabeth was born. An eighteen year old can't have a baby and be a mother. It's way too young."

Edward placed both his hands on my cheeks and turned my head so that I was looking at him. "You're not too young. You're an adult. You've finished high school, you have a place to bring Elizabeth home to. There are people who love you and care for you, and who are willing to help you."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Edward just nodded. 

Just then, another contraction came and I grabbed Edward's hand. "Ow, ow," I said. 

Edward began to freak out and all I wanted to do was wring his neck. "Are you alright? Do I need to go get Carlisle?" 

I shook my head as my eyes squeezed shut. Finally, thirty seconds later, I was able to breathe again and I said, "You do _not_ deal well with people who are giving birth do you? Do you even know what a contraction is?"

Edward looked sheepishly at me and shook his head. "No. I mean, I did read the pregnancy books to see if I could learn what happens when women are in labor, but I had no idea it would be like this. And don't scare me like that again. This is really difficult for me to see you in pain."

I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "You think this is difficult for you? I'm the one who has to push a watermelon out of my body and you think that this is difficult for you?"

Edward cowered back in his chair. "Sorry."

"Oh, trust me, it isn't your fault," I said. 

Alice and Jasper came into the room just then. Jasper stayed near the door while Alice bounced cheerfully across the room, stopping gracefully by my bed. "Hey, Bella."

"Why are you so cheerful, Alice?" I asked, annoyed for some reason. 

She grinned and said, "Because you're having a baby! This is so cool!"

"Yeah, cool for you, painful for me," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm,

"A little sarcastic, are we, Bella?" Jasper asked. I looked at him with a blank look on my face and he quickly changed the subject. "We, uh, called everyone. They should be here soon."

The contractions came and went and either Edward or Alice got their hand squeezed really hard. 

I was visited by Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme, who had arrived shortly after Jasper and Alice called them. Charlie still had yet to arrive. When I asked Alice, who had called him, why he hadn't come yet, she told me that he was stuck at the station until seven that night. 

"Hopefully, you won't have had your daughter by the time he gets here," Alice said, as I let go of her hand after yet another painful contraction. 

I looked at her, my eyes wide. "This baby had better be here by then because I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to stand this." Alice just laughed. 

Three hours after I got to the hospital, Carlisle announced that I was now two centimeters dilated. 

"How long is this supposed to last?" I asked him, wanting so bad to get the baby out of me. 

Carlisle just chuckled and said, "It usually takes a while. But don't worry – I think that is possible that you'll have a baby before morning comes."

When I was in my fifth hour of labor, I was getting extremely tired of the whole labor thing. I was beginning to get exhausted from the pressure of the contractions – they were starting to get closer together and more painful with each passing one. 

Alice and Edward both were in the room with me when a nurse walked in and asked me who was going to be in the delivery room with me. 

"Uh," I said, a blush creeping up into my face. Beside me, Alice was beginning to jump up and down.

"Me. I will," Alice said. I turned my head to look at her and she had an excited look on her face. Obviously, she was excited at the prospect of being in the delivery room. 

The nurse looked at Alice with a raised eyebrow and then turned to Edward. "Okay, how about you, daddy, are you going to be in there with them?" 

I looked at Edward and he had a look of horror on his face. "Uh, no. Not me, uh-huh. No way am I going to be in the delivery room." He looked like he was about to pass out.

"Okay," the nurse said. To Alice, she said, "I'll get you a pair of scrubs so when it's time, you can be ready."

Alice nodded, an excited look on her face. 

After the nurse left, I looked at Alice. "What time is it, Alice?" 

She looked at her watch and said, "A little after ten o'clock."

Just then, a very painful contraction came on. "OW!" I cried, grasping at my stomach. I grabbed Alice's hand and squeezed it. 

Next to me, Edward once again started to freak out. 

"Edward! If you freak out one more time, I swear I will throw you out of the room. You are not helping one bit!" I said through gritted teeth. "So get a grip!" He immediately got a grip on his self, scared of what I might do to him. 

Carlisle walked into the room just as the contraction ended. He looked at the paper coming out of the monitor and a worried look crossed his face. "Bella, I need to check to see how far along you are, okay?" 

I nodded. I was still breathing hard from the contraction. 

A moment later, Carlisle told me, "You're 8 centimeters dilated, and your contractions are getting too painful for the baby to handle. If you haven't fully dilated after the next contraction, we might have to do an emergency C-section."

I felt the fear fill my eyes as Carlisle said 'emergency C-section'. Even though I really wanted to, I refrained from freaking out, because I knew that Carlisle would probably have to stick a needle in me to calm down, and I couldn't take a needle. 

Carlisle left the room and one split second after he left, another contraction over took me with pain, and I screamed out in pain, unable to help it. I grabbed Alice's hand. She tried to help me breathe through it, but it didn't exactly help. Tears of pain were streaming down my face. I was in so much pain that I was to throw something at the wall, but I restrained from doing so. 

I heard a thump and when I looked over to my left, I saw Edward, passed out cold on the floor. Oh, he was so not coming into the delivery room with me. 

"OW!" I cried. The contraction had lasted more than thirty seconds. Alice had a worried look on her face as I squeezed her hand.

Sixty seconds after it had started, the contraction ended and Carlisle came into the room. When he spotted Edward passed out on the floor, he laughed and said, "Couldn't take it, I see?" 

"Just tell me that this is over," I said through gritted teeth. "I want her out of me."

"You've fully dilated, Bella. It's time to have this baby," Carlisle said. 

Alice started to squeal with delight. 

It was then that another pain went through my mid-section and I couldn't help but cry out in pain. The pain was worse than any of the other contractions and I felt as if I was dying a very slow and very painful death. 

Two minutes later, two nurses came into the room with the necessary equipment needed for delivering a baby. 

"Bella, I'm going to need you to push when the next contraction comes, alright?" Carlisle asked as he took his position at the end of the bed. I only managed to nod before the next contraction came. I screamed out in pain as Carlisle told me to push. I did as he said. 

Next to me, Alice said, "Come on, Bella, you can do this! I know you can!" 

After about forty minutes of extremely painful contractions, pushing, and crushing Alice's hand, my body felt as if it was going to plop down and fall asleep for a million years. As Carlisle once more told me to push, I said, "I can't."

"You can, Bella. Think of the wonderful little person you're going to be holding in your arms after this is all over," Alice said. 

I squeezed her hand as hard as I could as the next contraction came.

"Come on, Bella. Just a few more pushes. I can already see her head," Carlisle said. 

I tried to do as Carlisle said, but my body was feeling so exhausted at that moment. 

"Just a few more pushes, Bella," Alice encouraged me.

I looked at her. On her face, she had a look of excitement, and I knew that she was really excited about this. She knew I could do this. I knew it, too. 

The next contraction came and I pushed with all the strength that I had left. Three minutes later, Carlisle said, "Okay, stop. She's out."Five seconds later, a baby's cry filled the room, and Alice shouted over the noise, "Congratulations, Bella!"

I let my head fall back into the pillows for a second before I lifted it back up.

Alice was grinning maniacally. "Congratulations, Bella!" she said again. 

I managed to smile a weak smile at her before I was engulfed in her hug. "Alice!" I gasped out. I had a feeling that she would be doing that a lot within the next 24 hours. 

She let go of me and stood back, still grinning. 

And then Carlisle approached the bed, a bundle in his arms. He was smiling, and I knew from that smile that he was really happy for me. He placed the bundle in my arms and said to me, "Congratulations, Bella." I knew he meant it.

"So what's the verdict, Carlisle?" Alice asked.

Carlisle laughed and said, "She was born at 11:15 p.m. on September 1, and she weighed 4 pounds, 6 ounces."

I smiled at him and then looked down at my baby. Her eyes were closed, and her face was red. She was so adorable. The moment I looked at her, I felt the love that I had for my daughter intensify into a strong, unbreakable love. Welcome to the world, my little Elizabeth.

**Author's Note: **

Yay, Elizabeth is here! I have decided on writing one more chapter, and then an epilogue. I hope you all liked this chapter. I, personally, have never had a kid before, so I don't know what happens, but I think that it turned out okay. I've seen it in movies before, and I think I've read it in books. Anyways. I know that Edward probably wouldn't faint, but I had to - I couldn't resist in making him faint. The freaking out part from Jasper and Edward - priceless. Just so you know, Edward is fine, but I am pretty sure that Carlisle will have to diagnose him with a super headache - his head crashed into the bedside table! 

Next chapter should be out today. I know what's going to happen, and it probably won't take me too long to write it. Remember to review on your way out! UNtil Next Time: NerdyGuRu2

P.S. - For those of you who reviewed last chapter, thank you all so much. I got over twenty reviews. I am impressed. I haven't checked my e-mail,and I'm sort of scared to. One still can reply to reviews without checking their e-mail. I have a feeling that I am going to have over 60 messages in my inbox. And I will reply to your reviews, so don't worry. Happy Easter!


	32. My Little Angel

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight.

Chapter Thirty-one: My Little Angel

Carlisle left the room with Elizabeth a few minutes later, saying, "I'm going to take her to get some tests done on her. You sleep for now. You'll be able to see her again in the morning."

I was reluctant to let her go, but my body was telling me that it really needed rest.

After Carlisle left, Alice told me that she was going to inform everyone that the baby had been born. Before she left, she cheerfully kissed me on the cheek and danced out of the room. I didn't know how one who had just had their hand squished really hard by an in-pain woman for the past forty minutes, could be cheerful.

When Alice left, I was alone in the room drowning in my own happiness and tiredness. Well, with the exception of a still passed out Edward.

00

I awoke several hours later, my mind disoriented and groggy. My eyes opened at the sound of shuffling feet, and I saw a nurse wheeling something into the room and place it next to my bed. She smiled when she saw that I was awake, and said, "Congratulations, dear. She's a mighty fine baby. She's real quiet."

And that was when I realized that it was my baby in the little crib. I smiled as the nurse lifted the little bundle of soft pink blankets out of the crib and place her gently into my arms.

"If you have a name for your daughter, I need it for the birth certificate," the nurse said.

I smiled and said, "Elizabeth Jamie Marie Swan."

The nurse smiled and wrote it on a piece of paper with a permanent marker. Then she stuck it on the crib. "That's a mighty fine name for her. I think she looks like an Elizabeth."

I smiled and looked down at my daughter. Her warm, tiny body was perfect. She had my nose and my ears. I didn't know what color her eyes were, but I knew that they had to have some of her father's eye color in them. Elizabeth gave a little yawn, and I had to laugh.

"That is really cute. You're lucky to have her as your daughter," the nurse said as she watched me hold my daughter.

"Thanks. Um, do you know what time it is?" I asked the nurse.

She looked at her watch and said, "Eleven a.m."

"Thanks," I said. The nurse nodded, smiling, and then walked out of the room, leaving me and my little angel.

A moment later, however, there came a knock on the door and Carlisle entered.

"Hello, Bella," Carlisle said as he approached the bed. "Glad to see that you've finally awakened. How are you feeling?"

I had to think about this for a moment – my mind was working _extremely_ slow. "Really tired," I said.

Carlisle chuckled. "That's usually what women feel like after they've given birth. It's normal."

I smiled and looked down at my little angel, who had just then began to whimper. "Why's she whimpering?" I asked Carlisle.

"She's hungry," Carlisle said.

Instantly, my cheeks heated up. "Uh…I don't know…how to…feed her," I said, highly embarrassed about asking my boyfriend's _father_ how to feed a twelve hour old baby.

Carlisle smiled sympathetically. "You'll get used to it after a couple times." To save you from the details, I'm just going to say that he explained to me how to feed a baby.

When he left a couple minutes later, I was once again left alone with my whimpering little daughter. "Alright, alright, I'll feed you," I said.

After I fed her for the first time – which, I have to say, was slightly…weird – she lay peacefully once again in my arms, looking content and happy. It was then that I saw that Lizzy was small. She couldn't have been more than fourteen inches in length, and she fit perfectly in my arms. I smiled down at her.

I loved her so much.

For the next half hour, I was alone, just looking at the baby lying in my arms. Soon, I heard her soft gentle breathing and her chest rising up and down against my chest, and I knew that she was asleep. Gently, I placed her back in the bassinet – I think that's what they're called – and lay back against the pillows, sighing a contented sigh.

The next minute, there was a soft knock on the door and Esme appeared around the doorframe. I smiled and waved for her to come in. She entered, followed by Emmett and Rosalie.

She walked over to the bed and engulfed me in a gentle hug. "Congratulations, dear," she said as she pulled away. She had a huge smile on her face, and I could tell that she was really happy for me. "How are you feeling?"

"Really, tired," I said. She laughed as Emmett and Rosalie came up to the bed, Emmett with a wild grin on his face and Rosalie with a slight smile on her face.

"Congratulations, Bella!" Emmett said. "Now where is that little offspring of yours?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled, pointing at the bassinet that was next to the bed. Emmett grinned and walked over to it, Rosalie and Esme following.

"Aww," Esme cooed. "She's adorable, Bella. Have you named her yet?" I nodded, pointing to the piece of paper stuck to the inside of the bassinet above Elizabeth's head. "Elizabeth Jamie Marie Swan. I like that name."

"Thanks," I said.

"Can I hold her?" Emmett asked.

I looked at Esme, a hesitant look on my face. "Uh, well, sure. But be very careful. She's only twelve hours old."

Emmett grinned and gently picked Elizabeth up and cradled her in his arms. Rosalie sat down at the foot of the bed, staring at Emmett with attentive eyes, and Esme watched Emmett with love in her eyes.

Little Lizzy was passed around between Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme twice each before I figured that she must be getting dizzy from being passed around in a circle for fifteen minutes.

And then there was another knock on the door and Alice entered the room, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. Edward and Jasper followed her, amused looks on their faces. She bounced across the room, a grin on her face, to the hospital bed where she gave me a tight hug.

"Once again, ow," I said. "Don't do that for another few weeks, okay? Maybe I won't hurt as much by then."

Alice giggled and pulled away.

"We'll be outside. Carlisle said three people at a time only," Esme said. She gave me a hug and said, "Congratulations, Bella."

"Thanks," I said.

Then Esme turned to Emmett and Rosalie and said, "Come on, you two. You can come back later."

Emmett reluctantly handed me Elizabeth and waved as he, Rosalie, and Esme walked out the door.

That was when I noticed the small square of white gauze on the side of Edward's forehead. "What happened to your forehead, Edward?" I asked.

Alice and Jasper laughed as Edward turned a deep shade of red.

"Apparently, I passed out last night and hit my head on that table," he said, pointing to the table beside my bed.

I laughed quietly, not wanting to wake the little angel that was in my arms. "It was quite funny when you passed out. Though, I wasn't exactly in the mood to laugh."

"It resulted in a splitting headache when I woke up. It was probably a good thing that I missed Elizabeth – oops!" said Edward. I glared at him. "I wasn't supposed to say her name was I?"

"You named the baby without telling me and then you told _him_?" Alice shrieked. She went over to Edward and slapped him on the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me? I've been dying to know these past five months and then she tells you and you _never told_ me?"

"Alice, keep it down," I said.

Alice stopped shrieking and said, "Sorry. Can I hold her? I never got a good look at her last night."

"Be very careful," I told her as I handed Elizabeth to her.

"So what's her full name?" Jasper asked, watching Alice with some sort of expression that – even I couldn't quite make it out – I could tell was happiness.

"Elizabeth Jamie Marie Swan," I said, watching my daughter.

"Finally we have a name. I thought that we were never going to hear what her name was and have to call her 'Nameless' for the rest of her life," Alice said, looking down at Elizabeth, who still slept peacefully on. Hopefully, she would keep on doing that. "How long has she been named?"

"Ever since that day when we played the name game," I said, avoiding the gaze of Alice.

"Ever since – Bella!" Alice whined. "You could've told me so that I wouldn't have to wait in agony for the kid's name."

I glared at her, shooting a look at her that clearly said, 'Quiet down.'

Alice only smiled and then handed Elizabeth to Jasper, who took her into his arms ever so gently, as if he was going to break her.

Jasper was hesitant for a few seconds before he visibly relaxed and smiled down at Elizabeth. "She's so small. I didn't know that such a small baby could fit into a small stomach likes yours, Bella."

Alice, Edward, and I laughed. "Why, thanks, Jasper," I said. "She is quite small. She's probably no more than fourteen inches."

Edward sat down in the chair next to me. "It's probably a good thing that I passed out before she was born."

"Yes, it probably was a good thing. I was about to kick you out of the room if you asked one more time if I was okay. You were actually getting quite annoying, and you weren't helping at all," I said, looking up into his face. I put my fingers gently on the piece of gauze and said, "I still can't believe that you bonked your head on the table."

"It hurt!" Edward said, and Jasper laughed at the expression on Edward's face.

Jasper passed Elizabeth to Edward, who took her just as gently as Jasper had done.

He looked down at her, and I saw love fill his piercing green eyes, the eyes I loved so much. "She looks like you, Bella. You can see the thin layer of brown hair on the top of her head. And look, she even has your cute little stubby nose."

I smiled, looking at my baby. "She does. I just hope she has my eyes."

Alice and Edward looked at me sympathetically, while Jasper looked confused. Poor guy. He didn't even know what I was talking about – he didn't know what had happened, or that Elizabeth's father was some nutcase who was going to spend the next eight years in jail. "Why do you hope she has your eyes, Bella?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well – uh – what I meant was that I hope that she has the same shape eyes as I do. Maybe she'll have Charlie's color eyes." _Just not her father's_, I thought to myself.

After a few minutes, Edward handed Elizabeth to me and said that he was going to get a drink of water and that he would be right back.

Jasper and Alice moved to sit on either side at the end of the bed, watching me hold Elizabeth, who was still lying peacefully, nestled against my chest.

It was at that moment that I figured I should broach the subject upon Alice and Jasper. The question had been popping up into my mind over that last couple of days, and I decided that I would ask them after Elizabeth was born.

"Alice, Jasper?" I asked.

They took their gazes away from Elizabeth and said simultaneously, "Yes?"

"Well, this has been in my head for the past couple of days, and I've thought a lot about it. Would you guys like to be Elizabeth's godparents?" I asked, a blush slowly heating my face.

Jasper and Alice looked at each other for a split second. Then Jasper's face broke out into a wide grin and Alice jumped up from the bed, squealing with excitement. She threw hers arms around me, careful not to squish Elizabeth. I gave her a one-armed hug back.

"Thank you, Bella!" she said when she pulled back. She had a huge grin on her face, and she looked really excited.

Jasper got up from the bed and came over to me, giving me a hug as well. "We would love to, Bella," he said as he pulled away a couple seconds later.

My blush deepened as I smiled.

00

Charlie came to visit me and Elizabeth in the hospital after Esme, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Edward, and Alice left. When he held her in his arms, I could see that Charlie was growing attached to Elizabeth already. He commented that she looked like me – she even had the same mouth as me, which I hadn't noticed.

The Cullen's came to visit during for a couple hours each day during visiting hours, and Edward was with me all morning, going home only in the afternoon and during the night. I had found this really sweet. He as well was beginning to grow attached to Elizabeth. And whenever she was in his arms, she was always reluctant whenever she had to leave them.

Three days after Elizabeth was born, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie stopped to say good-bye to me before they left – they were starting on the four hour drive back to college. Even though they were going to be back for holidays and some weekends, I was going to miss them.

I was released from the hospital the same day Elizabeth was released from the NICU – which was four days after she was born. I have to say that staying in a hospital for five days straight was slightly annoying and boring. I had always hated hospitals, and I sure was glad to get out of there.

The morning I was released, Edward, Alice, _and_ Esme came to pick me up.

I was dressed in a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and my old pair of sneakers. Alice had dressed Elizabeth in a purple, little onesie with white baby socks.

I nestled Elizabeth, who was yet again sleeping, in my arms as I walked out of the hospital room, Alice next to me.

"This is so exciting!" Alice said as we approached the desk in the lobby where Edward and Esme were leaning against it, talking to Carlisle, who was signing the release forms.

"What's exciting?" I asked.

"You're bringing a baby home!"Alice said.

I laughed and shook my head. Alice would…always be Alice.

The ride home to the apartment was…interesting, to say the least. I sat in the back with Alice, Elizabeth in her car seat between us. We were staring intently at her, watching her sleep. Basically, we were both scared that if we took our eyes off her for one second, something would happen.

For the rest of the day, Esme, Edward, and Alice stayed with me and Elizabeth. Esme cooked a few meals I could heat up that would last me until I was able to get back to cooking. She, Edward, and Alice helped me with Elizabeth until I was sure that I would be able to handle it on my own.

When the left, I hugged them all tightly and told them thank you a million times.

"Thank you, Esme, for everything. You don't know how grateful I am for all that you guys have done to help me," I said to Esme as I hugged her.

She smiled warmly at me and told me to call her if I had any questions at all. And then she, Edward, and Alice left, leaving me alone in the house with only my angel.

When I put her in her crib that night before I went to bed, I touched her head softly, just looking at her lying there, sleeping peacefully, even though I knew that she would be awake again in a few hours.

I kissed her forehead and said, "Good-night, my little angel. I love you."

**Author's Note: **Review, Please! Only one more chapter...


	33. Epilogue Four Years Later

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight.

**Author's Note: **Two updates in one day! And it is done!! Enjoy!!

Epilogue: Four years later

As I searched through the crowd for the Cullen's, I felt Elizabeth cling onto my skirt. I smiled down at my four year old daughter, who looked back up at me.

"There is a lot of people here mommy," she said. Her chocolate brown eyes, which were rimmed with dull green, held shyness. She had always been shy, even when she was just a couple weeks old.

I chuckled and brushed her hair back with my hand. "It's alright, sweetie." She smiled her sweet little smile up at me and I smiled back at her before returning my gaze back to searching the crowd.

And then I heard someone call over the voices of the crowd, "Bella! Over here!"

I turned my head in the direction it came from and spotted the Cullen's, my favorite family in the whole world. I spotted Jasper waving at me, and I waved back to let him know that I had hear him. "Come on, sweetie," I said.

Elizabeth clung shyly to my shirt as we walked. When we approached, all shyness disappeared as she spotted her uncle Jasper. Her face broke out into a smile. "Hey, guys," I said when we were near enough for them to hear us.

"Hello, Bella, Elizabeth," Esme said as she embraced me in her always warm and loving hug.

"Hi, Esme," I said. "Hello Carlisle."

"Hello Bella," said Carlisle, a smile on his face.

Esme patted a seat that had been saved between her and Jasper and I sat down. Elizabeth climbed up onto my lap as I said, "So where are Emmett and Rosalie? The ceremony is starting in like five minutes."

Jasper laughed and said, "Emmett called about three minutes ago. He said that they were running a little late. To me, he sounded really excited."

I raised my eyebrows, but said nothing, reflecting on the past couple years.

Emmett and Rosalie had gotten married after they graduated from college the year before. They now lived just about half a mile away from the Cullen house, and were happily married. Jasper and Alice had moved out as well, into a small house about five minutes away from where Elizabeth and I lived. They were happy together, and we could all tell that they loved each other.

Edward still lived with Carlisle and Esme, in that huge mansion of a house whose driveway was partially hidden from weeds. He and I had been happily dating ever since I had moved back to Forks when we were eighteen. Edward was still the same Edward, tall and lanky, but still as handsome as ever. He loved Elizabeth and me both so much, and I loved him back just as much.

As for me, I never went to college. Instead, I opened a bookstore after Elizabeth was born. Abigail Wilson, the woman who had owned it, had given it to me when she died. I lived above the bookstore, and I was quite happy and content with living there. It was just the right size for living, and Elizabeth loved living there.

I was pulled back to the present by Esme asking me how the bookstore was doing.

"Really good," I said.

Emmett and Rosalie arrived just then, and sat down next to Jasper.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett said.

"Hi, Emmett," I said. I noticed that he and Rosalie looked happy about something. Rosalie especially was glowing with happiness, and I could only wonder...

The graduation ceremony started just then. Edward, Alice, and all the other graduates of Forks Community College walked out onto the stage. They were all wearing cap and gowns that were yellow, just as the robes we had worn at the high school graduation.

Sadly, I wished I could have been up there with them. I wished I could have gone to college, get married, and then have children many years later. But that wish never came true. Instead, I had found out I was pregnant, and all my hopes and dreams were flushed away down the toilet. But in the end, I ended up having a beautiful, shy little daughter, whom I loved more than life itself.

The graduation ceremony was a lot like the high school graduation. When Edward's name was called to come up and receive his plaque thing, all the Cullen's and I – even Elizabeth, who just clapped – cheered and clapped the hardest and the loudest out of all the people who were there. As he walked onto the stage to receive his diploma thing, he turned and flashed a grin at us, saving his special smile for me. I grinned back at him.

Alice, of course, skipped with excitement when she walked up. She was literally bouncing on the balls of her feet, she was so excited. I had to grin to myself; Alice would always be Alice, there was no point in denying it. Once again, the Cullen's and I clapped and cheered as loud and as hard as we could. She turned to grin excitedly at us and then skipped off the stage.

After the ceremony, we saw Edward and Alice both heading towards us. Both were still grinning with excitement.

"Congratulations!" Emmett and Jasper said as they approached.

"Doesn't it feel wonderful to be out of school for the rest of your life?" Jasper asked, wrapping his arm around Alice.

Alice nodded, full of enthusiasm.

Edward smiled and kissed me. I giggled into the kiss and kissed him back, putting my hand on his neck. As usual, I melted into the kiss until we both heard someone clear their throat. We both broke apart and looked down.

Elizabeth was standing there, looking up at us with her big curious eyes. She had been the one who had cleared their throat.

There was one split second before everyone broke out laughing.

00

Two and a half hours later, I was sitting on the back porch at the Cullen's, Edward next to me.

My head was leaning against his chest, my arm around his stomach. His arm was around my shoulder, and we were just enjoying each other's company.

"Did I ever get to say congratulations?" I asked, looking up at him.

He looked down at me and grinned. "I don't think you ever got the chance."

I giggled. "Congratulations. It must feel wonderful, being out of school completely."

He nodded, and said, "It is wonderful. Yet, I still have four years of medical school ahead of me." Edward was planning on becoming a doctor like Carlisle, meaning that he had to go to medical school. He had been accepted into the good medical school of none other place than Forks General.

I chuckled and rested my head against his chest again, breathing in his wonderful smell.

Esme poked her head around the edge of the door that led onto the back porch. "Hey, you two, supper will be ready in fifteen minutes," she said. She smiled at us before disappearing again.

"Do you know how much I love you right now?" Edward asked.

I smiled, looking up at him. "I have a pretty good idea, but I love to hear you say it." Edward grinned.

And then he began to look a little nervous. "Bella? Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can," I said. I sat up to look at him fully.

"Want to take a walk down to the hammock?" he asked.

"Sure," I said, wondering what this could possibly be about.

We walked down to the hammock, where Jasper had once tied me to it, while Edward and Emmett had tied Alice and Rosalie had been tied to the tree at the foot of it. I chuckled quietly at the memory; Alice, Rosalie, and I had chased the boys all around the house, and when we finally caught them, we started with pillows.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked.

I smiled. "I was just thinking of the time when you, Emmett, and Jasper tied me, Alice, and Rosalie to the hammock and the tree trunk."

He grinned. "I remember that. You guys were so angry with us, that you didn't speak to us for the rest of the afternoon. Mom found it quite funny."

"She did," I said, smiling at the memory.

"I love you, Bella," Edward said.

I turned to him and smiled. "I do, too, Edward."

He grinned again, though it was kind of nervous looking. "I've loved you since the first time you tripped on your way coming through the door into the kindergarten room." I blushed. "I love you, and I love Elizabeth as if she was my daughter, and I want to be there for you both whenever you need me."

And then he got down on one knee in the wet grass, and pulled something from his pocket. Opening it, he said, "Isabella Marie Swan, will you do the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

It was then that I realized that inside the small blue velvet box, there was an engagement ring.

I smiled softly, and, to my high embarrassment, I felt tears of happiness come to my eyes. "Yes," I whispered. "Yes, Edward," I said a little bit louder.

Edward grinned, all traces of being nervous gone. He took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto my ring finger. Then he lifted my hand up to his lips and he kissed it, before standing up fully. I grinned as he leaned in to kiss me, and I happily obliged.

When we broke apart a moment later, Edward said, "The ring is a 14k White Gold ring, with diamond baguettes on the side."

I looked at the ring. It was white gold with a diamond halfway encrusted into the ring in the middle, and then, sure enough, there was two baguettes encrusted into the ring itself on either side of the diamond. I smiled and looked up at the still grinning Edward. "It's beautiful, Edward. I absolutely love it."

His grin widened and was leaning in to kiss me when Esme called from the back door that supper was ready. He waved to let her know that he had heard. Then he turned to me and said, "Let's go eat."

I laughed and we headed back to the house, hand in hand.

An hour later, after supper, I was sitting on the couch talking with Alice and Jasper. I was careful to hide my ring, so that Alice wouldn't see it and absolutely flip out and ruin the surprise. Edward was in one corner of the living room, talking with Emmett in low voices. Rosalie was sitting in the arm chair, watching Carlisle and Esme play with Elizabeth.

I saw Edward and Emmett nod to each other and then Edward walked toward me and pulled me up to my feet, pulling me aside.

"Let's tell them now," Edward said.

"Now? Are you sure?" I asked. Edward nodded. "Alright, but you're making the announcement."

Edward chuckled and then, arm around my waist, led me to the front of the living room. "Everyone, Bella and I have an announcement to make. We're getting married."

There were shouts of joy and happiness from everyone – with the exception of Alice, who squealed with excitement. There were a lot of hugs exchanged in the course of four minutes as everyone congratulated us.

After the excitement died down, it was only brought up again when Emmett announced with a huge grin on his face, "Rosalie's pregnant!"

And then the excited congratulations broke out again, and more hugs were exchanged, and squeals of joy and happiness erupted from Esme and Alice.

Emmett and Rosalie were expecting; Edward and I were getting married. Everyone was happy with their place in the world, and I couldn't be happier. I enjoyed living, and I enjoyed living life with my daughter, and now, my husband-to-be.

Life was good at the moment, and I loved it.

As I tucked Elizabeth into bed that night, I sung her the lullaby that had been a tradition in my family whenever someone was born. It had been passed on from mother to daughter, and now I was passing it on to my daughter.

"I love you, mommy," Lizzy said.

I smiled down at my daughter. "Good-night, little girly, I love you, too."

**FIN**

**Author's Note: **

And so concludes our story. It is now complete! Which means, there is no more chapters. Sadly, I'm not going to be doing the wedding. The sequal should be up within the week. As a heads up, we will be going ahead a year and a half.

So, remember to review! I'll put the sequal up faster! So, see you next time! NerdyGuRu2

P.S. - If anyone wants to see the engagement ring Edward gave Bella, the link is posted in my profile. Bye!


	34. THREEQUEL ALERT! AUTHOR'S NOTE

**I'M POSTING THIS ON BOTH HARD DESCISION'S AND DECISION'S FATE**

**Dear Readers:**

**For those of you who have read Hard Descision's and Decision's Fate and loved them, I am not stopping writing about Bella and Edward, the Cullen's, little Elizabeth, and baby Nathan. **

**After much debate and throwing around ideas around in my head, I am going to be writing a threequel to the afore-mentioned stories. The lives of Bella, Edward, the Cullens, Elizabeth, and baby Nathan are not over, and I know that you all have been wanting me to write more about their lives. **

**This story will be called 'Life's New Step', set 16 years into the future. And I promise that this story will be happy. I think that after all Edward and Bella (Bella especially) went through in Decision's Fate, they deserve a little happiness. I might be throwing in a little - I repeat a little - drama, but for 95 percent (give or take) of the story, there will be happiness. **

**So, go check out my profile (Oh, by the way, I changed my pen name from NerdyGuRu2 to Lemonade Ninja) for the summary and more information about my writing status, and hopefully this story will be up and posted within the next day or two. **

**See you then!**

**Lemonade Ninja**

**P.S. - Put me on Author's Alert if you haven't already! **


	35. THREEQUEL POSTED

**ANNOUNCEMENT:**

**Dear Readers:**

**The long awaited threequel to Hard Descisions and Decision's Fate is now posted. It is called 'Life's New Step'. So, go ahead and read it. You can find it in my profile!**

**See you over there, Lemonade Ninja.**


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